


Love and War

by Skeelity



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Bonds, Bottom Yagami Light, Claims, Drama, Dubious Consent, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Kira - Freeform, Light and L won't kill each other, M/M, Mates, Minor Character Death, Plot Twists, Police, Slow Burn, Top L, Vampire AU, Vampire Hunters, Vampire L, Violence, no death note
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-02-14 14:00:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13009350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeelity/pseuds/Skeelity
Summary: Japan’s vampires are dropping like flies at the hands of a ruthless killer known as Kira. The NPA is running in circles trying to find the culprit, having no choice but to accept the help of the greatest detective in the world--L. Except, this isn’t just any old case. This one revolves around a beautiful brunet with high intellect and a dark, hateful secret.Light and L were equals in every way but fated enemies at the same time. Nothing good could ever come from them falling in love.But they can’t help it.





	1. Prologue

“Light! Did you see the news!?” 

The brunet didn’t so much as glance away from his computer screen at Matsuda’s sudden question, just as he’d paid the man no mind when he’d slammed the door to his office open seconds prior. The older male liked to be overdramatic when it came to everything so Light wasn’t exactly at the edge of his seat from the air of excitement in the other’s tone. No, he was much more interested in writing his report on the most recent case he’d been assigned and solved. 

“No, I didn’t,” he answered expectantly. He knew Matsuda was going to tell him all about whatever the news was. 

Matsuda stomped over to his desk, stopping directly in front of Light, “Kira killed again!” 

Finally, Light’s eyes shifted from his computer to meet Matsuda’s eager gaze. The man was like a puppy, always seeking the approval and attention of others. “Oh?” 

He nodded enthusiastically at Light’s curiosity, “Yeah! It was a woman this time! She was, like, 900 years old or something. I didn’t even know there  _ were _ vamps that old! Anyway, she was shot in the heart last night. It’s just like all of the othe-” 

“Wait,” Light interrupted, “You’re telling me that Kira killed a 900-year-old vampire?” 

He knew that there were vampires in existence up to 1,000 years ago, but he didn’t think any of them were still around today. She would have had to be incredibly powerful and the fact that she’d been taken out by a single person was...well...insane. 

Matsuda nodded again, “That’s what the autopsy showed apparently.” 

Light tapped his fingers against his desk subconsciously as he let the news sink in. This wasn’t good. The fact that Kira had killed another vampire wasn’t surprising, but killing one so ancient was catastrophic.

When the first vampire had been found dead in a Tokyo alleyway, shot with a wooden bullet to the heart, the NPA had labelled it a one-time occurrence. They had kept the murder a secret from the press and the general public to the best of their ability as they didn’t want to put worry in the hearts of Japan’s vampiric citizens. As vampire hunters had been outlawed less than fifty years ago, the police force knew that people would think the killer was a rising hunter.

Then the second, third, and fourth killing happened. The conditions of death were identical and each victim was a vampire. The NPA could no longer bury the incidents. 

A total of eleven victims, including the most recent woman, had been tallied in three months. Everyone assumed it was a hunter now, hateful and cruel. The criminal was known as Kira. 

Even with a serial killer on a rampage in Japan, there hadn’t been much of an uproar about it. The majority of the population consisted of humans and they weren’t considered to be in danger so only the vampires were affected. Nothing could be done about it, though. Kira was smart, never leaving a trace. The NPA was at a complete loss. They had nowhere to start. 

Light had tried to help as much as he could with the Kira case. He was still new to the force, only a year in, but his performance had risen him through the ranks fast. He had his own office but he didn’t have any real authority so he was limited in how much he could actually do. He wasn’t even assigned to the case. Matsuda was, though. Since they were longtime acquaintances, Matsuda often let key information regarding the investigation slip. The man had some use after all. 

The first ten victims had been independent in nature; no sire bonds, no mates, and no importance. They weren’t going to be missed. However, this last casualty was the first major difference. She was an ancient vampire which meant that she had a high standing in vampire politics. Her death wouldn’t be ignored. 

This wasn’t good. 

“Well, that’s certainly interesting,” Light said with a smile. 

Matsuda beamed, “I knew you’d think so. This means that Kira has upped his game! If he starts targeting older vamps, he might slip up soon!” 

He laughed softly, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just a matter of time before he’s overpowered.” 

Matsuda laughed as well, as if they’d already won. “Well, I better get back to work before Aizawa gets pissed again,” he said before waving and leaving the office. 

Once the door shut behind him, Light frowned. 

The young officer was experiencing a wide range of emotions; fear, confusion, and rage. 

_ How could I have let this happen!? _ His hands clenched into fists as he stared down the surface of his desk. Naomi Misora was supposed to be a 200-year-old vampire with no living relatives, fledglings, or the like. She was just another low-life vampire that no one cared about. That’s what he’d been told.

_ Told. Right.  _ That meant his source of information had been wrong. It was more probable his informant had been lying about her the entire time. 

_ Was this some sort of revenge? _ He shook it off. He would just have to ask him later. 

In any case, his job as Kira was about to get a lot harder. 

He’d accidentally killed an ancient vampire. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud of it, though. Vampires were already the stronger species by nature, but ancients were gods in comparison. The fact that he’d killed one with a single wooden bullet was amazing. It was also terrifying. He’d been reckless. He should have done more digging to make sure Naomi was safe to kill. He messed up. 

She must have sired hundreds at least. They’d all come flocking to Japan to avenge her death. And then there was the matter of the vampire council. They’d probably send someone, another ancient, to take care of the Kira problem before it got the chance to escalate any further. 

Light raked his fingers through his hair at the thought of being actively hunted by the NPA, vampires, and ancients moving forward. It wasn’t a comforting thought. 

Still, the more he thought about it the better the outcome started to seem. 

If vampires and ancients were taking the fight to him, he wouldn’t need to try as hard to find future victims. He was good at hunting them while staying under the radar at the same time, he had the perfect record, he was a natural liar, and he had all of the resources he needed to succeed. 

Soft laughter filled his office as he began to feel a stir of excitement. Yes, he was certainly looking forward to what was to come. 

_ Soon, they’ll all be dead.  _


	2. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L is introduced and Light meets with his informant.

“So, we know that Naomi Misora was killed by someone named Kira.” 

 

**Plop.**

 

“We know that she was shot from behind with a wooden bullet.” 

 

**Plop.**

 

“...We know that including her, 11 of our kind have fallen at the hands of Kira.”

 

**Plop.**

 

“Would you stop that!?” 

 

L sat in a huddled position at the table, his fingers daintily holding a sugar cube above his cup of tea. As he was waiting for the next observation from his successor to add the next cube, he was slightly irritated with the sudden postponement. Slowly, his obsidian orbs focused in on the visibly seething blond sitting across from him at the table. Once their eyes were locked, Mello seemed to relax a bit but he appeared content with staring L down. 

 

**Plop.**

 

Instantly, Mello’s demeanor reverted back to that of anger. L would have smiled at causing the other to bristle over something so simple but it wasn’t much of an accomplishment. Almost everything made the blond mad. 

 

“Mello, calm down.” 

 

At Matt’s suggestion, Mello folded his arms and settled with glaring at his sire, wisely keeping quiet for once. L, noticing that he ran out of sugar cubes, grabbed his spoon and began to stir the liquid languidly. 

 

“Whatever, I just don’t get why they’re sending L to Japan. It’s only a matter of time until Kira gets killed so what’s the point?” Mello huffed out. 

 

“They’re sending Watari.”

 

Matt glanced at the white-haired youth respectfully while Mello’s glare intensified on its new target. L inwardly sighed. These three were tiresomely predictable. 

 

“I know they’re sending Watari! But why’s L gotta go!?” Mello snarled at Near. 

 

“I would appreciate it if you lowered your voice, Mello. We can hear sounds a mile away so there’s no need to yell,” L said through his stirring. 

 

Matt snorted at the comment and Mello was practically fuming but again, not new. Near preoccupied himself with a jigsaw puzzle but his lips quirked slightly from the jab at the blond. 

 

This whole meeting felt all too unnecessary to L.  _ Stupid Watari, making me do this. _ Deep down, he knew he had to do it, though. He was going to be leaving for an unspecified amount of time to face a vampire hunter. It was dangerous in more ways than one. 

 

When Naomi’s death was announced, shit hit the fan on a global scale. Vampires everywhere were either scared out of their minds or out for blood. He was sure at least 15% of the vampiric population was heading to Japan but the council only cared about one thing. They knew they needed to take action since one of their precious ancients had died. In their minds, the only practical option they had was to send another ancient to Japan to handle things. Or in other words, end Kira once and for all. 

 

There was much talk about which ancient should be sent to deal with Kira, but they all eventually agreed that Watari was their most suited one for the job. True, Watari was incredibly strong and wise but that wasn’t why they chose him. They chose Watari because of  _ him _ . 

 

Watari was L’s sire and that’s who the council really wanted.

 

L wasn’t an ancient vampire. He was only 217 years old; however, L was the world’s greatest detective. He’d solved millions of cases in his long lifetime, all of which had been labelled unsolvable before he took an interest. 

 

The vampire council, which consisted of eight ancients, were the only people outside his inner circle aware that he was, in fact, a vampire as he’d only started using his letter alias during the past fifteen years. They didn’t, however, know his face or real name. Mello, Matt, Near, and Watari were the only ones that knew what L really looked like and only Watari knew his full name.

 

Watari was the one that turned L, but their roles felt reversed in a way. It seemed the old man was more than happy to serve him rather than take advantage of their sire bond. The council knew this as well which was why they chose Watari to be their glorious knight. 

 

L would go with him. Not because he had to but because no one else would serve him treats. He could make his three successors fill in but they wouldn’t be as nice about it.

 

So L was being forced into his next investigation and he wasn’t happy about it. The Kira case felt dull. Someone was killing vampires in Japan and the NPA, as helpful as ever, couldn’t figure it out. That didn’t mean the case was unsolvable. The case  _ was _ personal, though. 

 

L was old acquaintances with Naomi. They’d worked together on a case a long time back and he’d enjoyed her company to a fault. He wasn’t exactly upset about her passing but he didn’t like how easy it had been for her to die. She was an ancient but her murder had been so simple. She should have seen it coming, heard it coming... 

 

Pleased with his stirring, the raven-haired detective brought the cup to his mouth and took a small but loud sip. It tasted bitter. He should have put more sugar into it. He blamed Matt since he was the one who brought the cubes to the table. He should have brought more. 

 

_ How inadequate... _

 

He subtracted five points from Matt’s likelihood of replacing him as L. 

 

“As I will be away for a while, I want you three to continue working on side cases. Keep me posted as usual.” 

 

“You’re leaving us behind!?” Mello shouted once again. 

 

_ You already guessed as much, Mello. Stop playing dumb. You’re supposed to be impressing me... _

 

“Unfortunately,” L replied, though it was a lie. He wasn’t upset about leaving them. He was feeling suffocated being around them in complete honesty. They didn’t need to know that, though. “It’s too dangerous for all of us to be in one place for too long. Especially, when said place is harboring a vampire hunter capable of killing ancients.” 

 

“But our bond!” 

 

The bond was a messy thing that tied vampires of the same bloodline together on an emotional and biological level. L shared this bond with Watari and his fledglings. Mello, Matt, and Near shared the bond with each other and L alone. 

 

Contrary to popular belief, vampires were social creatures. They needed to make physical contact regularly with their sire and/or ‘siblings’ so to speak. They could also find comfort with their fledglings. Being in the same room was enough for some but others needed full-on contact, though thankfully nothing sexual. Mello and Near were both very needy. They, embarrassingly, liked to cuddle to regain their energy and stability. Matt was able to feed off the energy in a room much like Watari. L was unique in that the need never crossed him. He supposed that Watari was around him enough that he’d never had to deal with the consequences of separation. 

 

Without catering to their social needs, vampires began to lose control over their bloodlust as well as their sanity. Over long periods of time, social deprivation could even be fatal. 

 

Thus, L met with his successors individually once every two weeks. That was more than enough to satisfy their needs.

 

This was the first time he was forcing them to stay away from him, though. That was why Watari had made L ask them to meet all at once so they could discuss their temporary distancing. They didn’t have enough time to talk one on one, which he would have preferred since the council wanted them in Japan within 24 hours. Watari was getting their private jet in order which was why Matt was the one responsible for delivering his treats for the moment. Thus he was trapped in his home with his three fledglings who could barely get along. 

 

“The three of you can satisfy each other well enough.” 

 

Mello guffawed and Near noticeably frowned. 

 

“That’s not going to work, L!” Mello exclaimed. 

 

“I agree.” 

 

L was surprised to hear Near state as much. He had underestimated his distaste for Mello it would seem. 

 

Matt shrugged, “I’ll take care of them.” 

 

_ Fine, Matt. I’ll give you your 5 points back. _

 

\------------

 

As he’d predicted, Naomi Misora’s death had made headlines worldwide, not just in Japan as per usual. The vampire council had also posted their response to the situation in a broadcast that Light had made sure to watch earlier in the day. Their spokesperson didn’t say much at all, only declaring that they’d assigned an ancient to take care of things in Japan. They didn’t say who the ancient was, unsurprisingly. The council was known for being cryptic. 

 

Light had a feeling he’d learn the identity of the ancient one way or another. 

 

He’d have to be careful from this point on. Vampires were going to be hyper-alert to their surroundings now, some going so far as to actually seek Kira out, so he needed to keep his guard up. He wasn’t stupid enough to carry the murder weapon around with him, at least when he wasn’t planning to kill. No, he kept his specially made gun under a false bottom in his desk drawer at home, rigged with an electric current defense mechanism that seemed like overkill but was definitely necessary. Still, he needed to be careful when he was out and about at night, like now. 

 

He had scheduled a meeting with his informant at 8:00 pm sharp at a popular coffee shop. They met somewhere different each time but Light made sure their rendezvous points were in highly populated areas as to not seem suspicious. Also, because he didn’t trust the informant at all. 

 

Just as he didn’t trust any vampires. 

 

They were monsters disguised as humans, every single one. 

 

After the existence of vampires became known, a war between their species waged. The war lasted 20 years with both sides proving their strength to the other. Vampires had the advantage at first with their natural weapons; fangs, compulsion, immortality, and supernatural senses. However, human armies were trained specifically on how to counter the bloodsuckers. They were given special weapons and equipped with self-destructing armor as a last resort. The new technology put the vampires in a bad spot. 

 

In the end, the vampires surrendered and the humans decided to sign a treaty allowing coexistence. In order for peace to work, existing vampires had to be registered through human governments so they could be kept track of. Newly turned vampires also had to go through this process. Once they were registered in the system, the vampires were given a special ID card. If a vampire didn’t have an ID and was questioned for it, they would be arrested as an illegal citizen. The second rule was that vampires were never allowed to feed off the living. Unfortunately, if a vampire fed without kidnapping or killing their victim, it was almost impossible to know about it. This was because of compulsion. 

 

Every vampire had the ability to compel a human into doing whatever they wanted. This act of mind control was a major problem because there was no known way to counter it. 

 

Except that there was. 

 

When Light had first met with his informant, he’d asked the vampire to prove his loyalty. He’d done that by telling Light how to avoid compulsion. 

 

Vervain. 

 

It was a type of herb that apparently, acted as a poison against vampires. When vervain was in a person’s system, they were immune to compulsion and their blood became foul to taste. Light didn’t know how much truth there was to it, but he started putting the herb in his coffee ever since. 

 

Besides vervain, sunlight, and a wooden stake (or bullet) to the heart, vampires only had one other weakness--silver. Silver couldn’t kill a vampire but it did hurt them. Depending on the strength and age of a vampire, silver could act as an irritant, render their supernatural abilities useless, or burn them at the touch. The downfall was that vampires could sense the presence of silver instinctively so there was no catching them by surprise. 

 

Light’s only other defense was the silver watch he wore. If he was ever attacked by a bloodsucker, it was his last chance of survival. As long as the vampire wasn’t an ancient, it would probably do enough damage but he didn’t know for sure. He wasn’t planning on getting attacked anyway. 

 

Parking his car nearby the cafe, Light finally stepped outside. The streets were busy even though it was a Tuesday night. He was thankful for it. 

 

He grabbed a bag from his passenger seat before walking toward the building. Inside he could see that there were only four other customers, sitting together at a booth by the window. Light ordered a cup of coffee and then took a seat at a booth near the back of the store. 

 

He didn’t have to wait long. 

 

Light had been sitting for less than a minute before he was joined by his informant. 

 

The vampire was dressed in tight-fitting black clothes sporting an ungodly amount of jewelry. The black-haired vampire, now sitting across him, smiled wickedly upon locking eyes. “Hello, Light,” he said in his deep, raspy voice. 

 

“Ryuk,” he greeted evenly, forcing himself not to stare at the man’s abnormally sharp canines. 

 

“So, what’s up?” 

 

Light didn’t bother hiding a glare at the man’s tone.  _ You know exactly ‘what’s up’.  _ “You lied to me.” 

 

“Did I?” Ryuk wondered aloud, “I don’t remember.” 

 

Light leaned forward, brown eyes burning into Ryuk’s golden orbs, and whispered, “You didn’t tell me Naomi was an ancient.” 

 

Ryuk’s smile didn’t falter, “You asked me to give you information about a vampire. You didn’t tell me how old they had to be.” 

 

“You know how to profile them, Ryuk. I asked for a vampire with no fledgli-”

 

“She doesn’t have any.” 

 

Light’s eyes widened in surprise. How could she not have any fledglings? She was 900 years old. Surely, she had turned someone. 

 

Ryuk snickered at his sudden silence, “I thought  _ you _ were the smart one.” 

 

And just like that, Light’s surprise was replaced with annoyance. He leaned back in the booth and crossed his arms. “She doesn’t have _ any _ ? You’re sure?” 

 

“Yeah. They were killed in the war. She didn’t make any more after.” 

 

_ Well, that’s something at least. _ It didn’t change the fact that he’d killed an ancient, though. Vampires would still want revenge. “You should’ve picked someone younger.” 

 

The vampire shrugged, seeming less interested in their conversation now that Light wasn’t as riled up. “Like I said, you didn’t specify that part.” 

 

Light sighed, “I thought you were trying to get me killed by targeting her. But I guess you’re still on my side after all.” 

 

“I’m not on anyone’s side but my own. So long as you remain interesting to me, I’ll assist you,” Ryuk corrected, “But I don’t care if you die.” 

 

_ So that’s how it is. _

 

The two of them met the night of Light’s second murder, mere seconds after shooting his victim in the heart. At first, when Ryuk appeared next to him almost out of thin air, he thought he was going to die. Needless to say, he was shocked when the vampire praised his actions and offered to help in future endeavors. 

 

Ever since they’d met, Light wanted to know what the vampire’s motive was in aiding him. After all, Kira was planning the mass genocide of Ryuk’s own species. 

 

_ So you think I’m interesting, Ryuk? How nice.  _

 

Light smirked, “Well, unfortunately for you, I won’t be needing your help anymore.” 

 

“What!? Why?” 

 

He took a sip of his coffee before giving Ryuk a sly smile, “Now that I’m no longer under the radar, I have no reason to pick and choose my targets anymore. You’re no longer needed for my plan to work.” 

 

“How are you going to find information about vampires then?” 

 

As nice as it was for Light to have an inside source of information, Ryuk was never necessary. He only kept him around because he’d lost the element of surprise.

 

“I’m a police officer, Ryuk. I have access to information about every legal resident in Japan, human and vampire alike.”  _ And I can always hack into the universal database should I need more.  _

 

Ryuk frowned, “That’s no fun. How am I supposed to observe you, now?” 

 

Light finished his coffee and slid the cup to the edge of the table. “You’re an informant. If you want to ‘observe’ me, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” 

 

The vampire seemed to agree with that statement as his smile slowly spread across his face once again. 

 

“Also, before you get any ideas. Everywhere we’ve met in the last three months have had working security cameras,” Light added, gesturing to a recording device attached to the ceiling of the cafe, “If you plan on ratting me out, it won’t be hard for someone to connect the dots and name you an accomplice. So unless you want to face years in prison or the death penalty, keep your mouth shut.” 

 

Ryuk snickered, not at all concerned with the slight threat. “Don’t worry, Light. My lips are sealed.” 

 

Light nodded, “Good.” As he stood to leave, not without even saying goodbye, Ryuk spoke up once more, stopping him in his tracks. 

 

“Is that all, Light?” 

 

_ Heh. _ “It’s a good thing you reminded me. Here’s your payment.” He reached into the bag he brought in, grabbed the round object from inside, and tossed it toward the vampire. 

 

Ryuk caught the apple and licked his lips. “Looks juicy!” 

 

That was another strange thing about the informant. He was obsessed with apples. When he started selling information to Light about the vampires he killed, he never wanted money or blood. He just wanted an apple or two. Not only was it an absolutely ridiculous form of payment, it didn’t make sense because of his biology. 

 

Vampires didn’t get any value out of any substance other than blood. Most couldn’t consume human food without vomiting it up because their bodies identified it as waste. Apparently, that wasn’t the case with Ryuk. 

 

He took a large bite out of the fruit to solidify that point. 

 

With that, Light finally left the shop and started heading back to his car. 

 

Ryuk was a weird guy. 

 

_ Let’s see how long I let you live. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to update once a week for now. If you have any questions about this story, feel free to ask.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading, leaving a kudos, commenting, subscribing, etc. Your support motivates me to keep writing. <3
> 
> *Ancient: Vampires that were alive over 600 years ago. They are extremely rare because most vampires weren't able to survive the attacks of vampire hunters as well as the Blood War (a war on vampires by all of humanity). An estimated 20 Ancients exist according to humans. On average, the majority of vampires are younger than 100 years old. (This is a rough explanation but I'll try to cover this more in later chapters.)


	3. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L contemplates the Kira investigation while Light plans his next move.

They’d be landing in Tokyo in less than 15 minutes now. The vampire council would be proud. It wasn’t even 10:00 pm yet which meant they were definitely going to meet their deadline of arriving in Japan. 

 

L noted this information minutely before returning to the task at hand. 

 

Currently, he was sitting in the comfier passenger cabin of the jet while Watari piloted. His laptop rested on the small table in front of him, next to a half-eaten slice of strawberry cheesecake. 

 

He’d been spending the duration of their flight doing research on the Kira case, much to his dismay. The case was, as he’d predicted, boring. Kira was just a serial killer with a niche for spilling vampiric blood. It didn’t take much for someone with this level of predictable victim profiling to get carried away. L gave Kira two weeks top before he’d screw up. 

 

Still, that’s all the NPA seemed to be banking on as well--catching Kira by the killer’s own errors. Simply put, the NPA had no evidence, no witnesses, and no idea of who their killer was. 

 

So, if Kira got lucky and never messed up, the NPA had nothing to work with. Kira could be anyone. 

 

L didn’t feel the same way. Even if there was no physical evidence, they could still study the possible personality traits Kira possessed and get somewhere from there. It sounded far-fetched and unprofessional but that’s how L’s mind worked. He was more detail oriented than the average person and oh how he loved puzzles. Though, not as much as Near did. 

 

Halfway through the flight, he’d put together a decent profile of Kira. 

 

It was clear from all 11 crime scenes, that Kira killed the same way each time--gunshot wound through the back into the heart. The wooden bullet always entered the victims through the back. That meant that Kira was stealthy, for whatever reason, not wanting his victims to see his face. There were obvious reasons why that would be the case, though. If he failed to kill the vampire, they’d know what he looked like, they’d be more likely to attack if they saw a gun pointed at them, but more importantly, it meant that he wanted to kill vampires based off a primitive need. In other words, Kira was killing vampires because of their biological makeup and not because of their personality, status, looks, or anything personal.

 

That meant that Kira had some kind of agenda or grudge against vampires. 

 

Second, the NPA had deduced that there was only one killer involved (and L agreed) meaning they could narrow it down even more. Because Kira was swift and silent in his method, he very obviously didn’t want to be forced into hand to hand combat. Because Kira’s technique never changed when facing a 3-month-old vampire compared to a 900-year-old one, L could confidently assume that Kira was in fact, human. There was still a 5% chance that Kira was a vampire, however. 

 

The fact that Kira was killing by himself meant he was confident in his own abilities as well. 

 

L wasn’t positive about Kira’s gender but based on the weapon of choice and the willingness to kill alone meant that there was a 33% chance of Kira being a woman and 67% of Kira being a man.

 

The amount of stealth Kira possessed as well as the ability to aim put Kira anywhere in the teens to late thirties. There was a 3% chance that Kira was older than 40 and less than 1% of him being below the age of 12. 

 

L figured, with a hateful mind and a display of overconfidence that Kira was probably in his twenties but he’d stay open-minded. 

 

Lastly, and most importantly, Kira had amazingly precise aim. He always hit the heart dead on. This meant that Kira was well-trained with handguns. There was a 15% chance that he was self-trained and an 85% chance that he’d learned the skill through a job. 

 

_ He could be military... But by killing vampires the way he is, his motive could be based off a sense of justice. In that case, it’s more likely Kira is or was involved in law enforcement.  _

 

L smiled to himself, running his thumb over his bottom lip to hide his excitement even if no one was there to see.  _ Kira a cop? That would certainly explain a lot. It would also make this investigation much more interesting.  _

 

The NPA had learned nothing about Kira in the span of a week. In approximately 5 hours, L could tell that Kira was a young human (most likely male) with a strong sense of justice, a possible link to law enforcement, and a hatred for vampires. They could narrow their search to those living in the Kanto region of Japan as well. There was also the possibility that Kira had gone through a traumatic experience in the past with some relation to vampires.

 

L’s idea of Kira being a police officer only increased the more he dug. 

 

The first 10 murder victims had barely made the news because they had no family members, mates, sire bonds, or a high status that would deem them ‘important’. It was obvious to L that Kira was killing lower level vampires to seem like less of a harm. That’s what made Naomi’s death so mysterious. Why Kira had gone from killing ‘baby’ vamps to killing a full-blown ancient was honestly, mind-boggling. If he wanted to remain under the radar so badly, why would he off someone with such a high standing? Did something change? Did he want the attention all of a sudden? 

 

_ You really are confident, aren’t you Kira?  _

 

Unless he didn’t know. But if Kira was a police officer, he would have access to every Japanese vampire at the very least. He should have been well aware of her age so why did he kill her? 

 

L chewed on his thumb, irritated with Kira’s thought process. This was supposed to be an easy case but he couldn’t come to grips with why Kira would kill Naomi Misora. 

 

_ Tired of dumbing your efforts down? Did you want people to recognize your abilities?  _

 

In the grand scheme of things, why Kira chose to kill Naomi made no difference. 

 

_ You can answer all of my questions when I catch you.  _

 

The second half of the flight, L had spent doing research on who was in charge of the Kira investigation in Tokyo. It took a few emails from him to the head of the NPA, to get a list of the five men working the Kira case. Unsurprisingly, they were all humans. There were hardly any vampires in law enforcement, mostly by choice. 

 

Those listed were Chief Soichiro Yagami, Shuichi Aizawa, Touta Matsuda, Kanzo Mogi, and Hirokazu Ukita. L did a background check on the police officers before concluding that they were all good fits for the task force; however, he did note that Touta Matsuda matched at least half of his Kira profile. 

 

He sent an email to Soichiro Yagami, head of the Kira task force, informing him that he, L, would like to assist with the investigation. He asked out of courtesy. They weren’t going to turn him down. After all, he was the world’s greatest detective. 

 

It was late, though and since no one human seemed able to keep up with his sleeping habits, he doubted the man would be awake to see his text tonight. Alas, he would just have to wait for one in the morning. Then he would send Watari to the police station with his laptop so that he could properly address the five members of the task force. 

 

“Sir, fasten your seatbelt, we’re about to land,” Watari’s voice sounded through the intercom. 

 

L ignored him and took a bite of his cake. 

 

\------------

 

He’d come to work an hour early the next day. His previous night with Ryuk had inspired Light to start figuring out who his next target would be. He was a fairly decent hacker so he could have accessed the police’s network from home, but it was safer to do it from a source that wouldn’t raise any red flags in the worst case scenario. Besides, at work, it wasn’t like he was doing anything wrong. Their work computers were occasionally monitored but Light could easily cover his actions since he often pitched in with investigations he wasn’t actually working on. If anyone asked why he was researching vampiric citizens, he could very easily say he was trying to predict who Kira’s next victim would be. 

 

Still, he had ways to trick the monitoring system. He’d do some coding to create an incognito window that no one would be able to access or pinpoint. Well, unless he was facing a better hacker which he doubted would happen. 

 

He searched through the files of registered vampires in the Kanto region of Japan, but the more he did this, the more he realized that this method of finding a target was unnecessary. It was just as he told Ryuk, now that Kira was a widely known threat, he didn’t have to kill low-status vampires anymore. There was nothing holding him back from targeting a whole nest for that matter. 

 

Still, vampires were going to be more paranoid now, so he couldn’t go after high-security vampires just yet. He’d like to gather more human support before targeting celebrities or politicians. Light wasn’t the only person in the world that hated vampires and he was sure that Kira must have intrigued some like-minded people by now. Though, he wouldn’t look to recruit anyone to his cause until the media started showing signs of approval. 

 

Then he’d have some bigger targets in mind, like the Yotsuba Corporation. 

 

At any rate, if he was going to get away with another easy kill, he was going to have to switch tactics. In the past, he’d gotten lucky. It didn’t matter if he got information from himself or Ryuk, he would always learn their nightly routines. Once he was confident with his plan, he’d wait somewhere quiet along their usual route and finish them off when opportunity struck. 

 

Of the 11 murders, 3 happened in alleyways, 2 in parks, 4 outside of their homes, and 2 in parking garages. Each time, the vampires were alone which made Light’s job that much easier and since he was always there before his target showed, they never suspected him of following them. Therefore, killing them was almost too easy. They never really had a chance. 

 

This time it would be a little different. No vampire in their right mind would put themselves in isolated positions knowing they were being hunted and if they did, it probably meant they were trying to bait him. He had to switch his tactics for a while at least, just to throw everyone off, including the NPA. 

 

So instead of looking up vampires, he researched vampire hotspots in Tokyo. After scrolling through the internet for awhile, he finally found exactly what he wanted; a popular vampire club called Fangtasy. He’d never been to any kind of club, but he knew enough about them to get a clear idea of what to expect. Although, vampire clubs differed greatly from human ones. 

 

Most of them had gothic themes, exotic vampire dancers, and, of course, a mass of willing humans visiting in hopes of becoming a vampire’s mate or fledgling. Going there, he’d find a number of potential targets and he knew it wouldn’t be hard to lure someone into a more private location. There were going to be a few setbacks like dealing with security cameras, disguising his appearance, hiding his weapon, and socializing with monsters while pretending to like it. 

 

But it would definitely throw the NPA off and vampires would learn that even in crowds, they weren’t safe from Kira. 

 

He smiled to himself as he closed his specialized tabs and leaned back in his chair.  _ Assuming I can pull it off smoothly, Kira will look even more threatening. It won’t take long before normal people start to respect my name.  _

 

Of course, if he did succeed, it might chase some vampires away or force the council to send another ancient. Well, no matter the results, Light Yagami was abnormally intelligent and if he was being honest with himself, a challenge wouldn't be unwelcome. 

 

_ This is going to be fun.  _

 

\------------

 

L had been wide awake for approximately 3 days which was more than a little strange for a vampire. As highly powerful beings, they needed a lot of rest to keep their abilities in check, similarly to keeping up with their bonds. This was usually easily accomplished during the day as vampires were unable to stand in sunlight. The amount of time it took for a vampire to burst into flames and die varied, but the result was always the same. Also, during the day, vampires tended to feel more worn out even if they were fully rested. 

 

He was a special case. Even in his human life, L was an insomniac. To him, sleeping was a waste of his brain-power and giving into drowsiness could potentially lower his IQ. 

 

So, L stayed awake all night up until late morning, except for the one accidental 10-minute nap he took. Luckily, his time wasn’t wasted by sleep for too long, though because he was awoken by almost choking on a bite of strawberry shortcake that had been in his mouth the entire time apparently. Afterwards, Watari had lectured him about the consequences of eating and sleeping at the same time. That might have meant something to someone that could actually be killed over something as petty as a half-chewed piece of cake getting lodged in their throat. It didn’t seem like a bad way to die to L.

 

Apart from that, L was mostly killing time in their hotel suite, waiting for Chief Yagami to reply to his email about the Kira investigation. Then, around 10:30 am, the reply came. 

 

_ Finally. _

 

The raven-haired detective wasted no time in pulling up the email from Soichiro Yagami, pleased to hear that the NPA would be more than happy to cooperate with L regarding the Kira case. At the bottom of the message, the officer questioned how they planned to communicate moving forward.

 

Well, he wasn’t going to solve the case through emails, especially when Kira could be a police officer with an unspecified amount of access to their servers, not that Kira had to be working at this specific location. He was getting ahead of himself again. 

 

He replied to the email, letting the chief know that he’d send someone (Watari) by tomorrow to act as his representative. This was for several reasons. First, because L had never shown his face while working on a case, especially one as basic as this. Second, Watari was an ancient and could, therefore, survive being outside during the day as long as he was fully covered with several layers of clothing. Third, so he could observe the members from a distance (through the webcam on his laptop while happily indulging himself in sweets and maybe some blood type A). 

 

He would have liked to discuss the Kira investigation with the task force right then and there but he wanted to get some (illegal) security cameras installed throughout the entirety of the NPA’s building first. He wanted to have eyes on everyone there to see just who could be a suspect. 

 

Until then, there wasn’t much left to do. 

 

_ I wonder what you’re up to now, Kira... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter even if its full of more information. I promise things will get interesting in the next chapter. I just wanted to emphasize again that this has a slow-burn but it will totally be worth it if you stick around. Thanks again. <3


	4. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light makes a move.

Light took a taxi to Fangtasy that night, not to scope the area out as he would have usually preferred. Instead, he was determined to kill again. It felt strange to be acting so unusual and unorganized but it was necessary. In the three months that Kira had been active, one vampire died every week. Though the time of death and day of the week differed, it never changed the fact that Kira had a schedule of sorts. 

 

Before, when he was only dealing with the ‘bright’ minds of the NPA, he didn’t care if his killings had a sort of pattern. Now, with vampires after him too, he needed to switch things up. With the uproar Kira had caused in the media and in Japan, he wouldn’t be surprised if the NPA sought outside help. 

 

He figured that everyone was expecting him to wait until next week to make his next move, but he wanted to do something fast before anyone had time to plant a trap for him. Also, he felt he had something to prove ever since Matsuda talked to him about Naomi Misora. When he, the idiot of the NPA, said that Kira was going to mess up soon... Well, it made him more than a little irritated. 

 

So if he killed in the same week and in a completely different style, everyone would be shocked. They might even suspect a copycat killer was behind it but even that would be in his favor. If people thought someone else was openly supporting him by killing as well, then others might be more daring too. 

 

This plan was definitely risky, though. 

 

Meeting a vampire face to face, with his weapon resting in the bag slung over his shoulder was nerve-wracking. If he messed up there was almost no chance of him making it out alive. But, he knew he was going to have to change his game eventually. 

 

This was a start. 

 

As he stepped out of the taxi, he noticed the stares he was getting from some of the people walking past. It was no question as to why. Currently, Light was dressed in tight black jeans that Sayu had bought for him ages ago, a long sleeve, black button up with the top two undone, and dark dress shoes. He had also temporarily dyed his hair black and styled it messier than usual so that he wouldn’t be easily recognized. The only thing he was wearing that made him feel like himself was the silver watch on his wrist. Otherwise, he looked like a sexy goth that was sure to turn a few heads. 

 

He felt ridiculous but again, this was necessary. 

 

Before he went into the club, he visited a neighboring cafe, ordered a drink, and pulled out his laptop. His first step was to hack into the security cameras that Fangtasy and the nearby buildings possessed. This was obviously because he didn’t want to be captured by the security measures that the NPA would definitely be checking within the next few days. 

 

He was thankful for his talent in hacking as he replaced the footage the cameras collected with ones from four days prior. With any luck, they wouldn’t search that far back and wouldn’t know someone had hacked into anything. He didn’t need people to know Kira was gifted in that area. He knew that the likelihood of the officers searching through that much footage was low and taking the time to use recordings farther back would take an hour longer for Light so he settled.

 

When he was satisfied with his work, he moved his laptop back into his bag and exited the shop. 

 

Fangtasy was a normal looking building on the outside, with a towering bouncer guarding the doors, but from the pictures its website had to offer, Light knew the inside of the club was much more extreme. As he approached the building, he noticed the line of people waiting to get in. It was a Thursday night but the line was  _ huge _ . 

 

He felt a sinking feeling in his chest at the thought of not being allowed inside. 

 

Light knew he was attractive but that didn’t mean he’d be able to cut to the front of the line and didn’t assure he’d be allowed in. What were the prerequisites to be allowed in first anyway? The website didn’t even mention the bouncer system. Was it based on looks or gender? Or maybe they asked for blood types...

 

Some people didn’t even go near the line, being waved in by the bouncer as if they were special. He wondered if they worked there at first but then he finally knew what was going on. Those ‘special’ guests were vampires and the people in the line were humans. 

 

_ So vampires can come in without a blink of an eye, huh? And they say Kira’s wrong for categorizing vampires and humans... _

 

He sighed as he started toward the back of the line but stopped in his tracks as he felt an arm wrap itself around his shoulders. He flinched at the touch, not expecting it at all and wondering if he should be more alarmed or enraged. He turned his head to see who exactly had the nerve to put their hands on him and found a familiar face. 

 

“Ryuk!?” he exclaimed in mostly surprise. 

 

“Hiya, Light!” he said with a shit-eating grin, “I almost didn’t recognize you! What’s with the getup?” 

 

In that moment, all Light wanted to do was punch Ryuk in his smiling face but glancing at the line, he decided not to cause a scene. After all, he didn’t want the bouncer to make him leave because he’d brawled with a handsy vampire. 

 

“What are you doing here, Ryuk?” he hissed. 

 

“What are  _ you _ doing here, Light? Oh wait, I bet I know the answer!” 

 

Light glowered at the taller male, “What do you want?” 

 

“I want you to go in.” 

 

“Why?” 

 

Ryuk’s eyes flashed red for an instant and his smile grew, “I’d hate to miss what you’ve got planned for tonight.” 

 

“So what then?  _ You’re _ going to help me get inside? I already told you I don’t need you anymore.” 

 

“You also told me that I’ve become your accomplice and if you get caught, it means bad news for both of us. I still don’t care about all that but I do want to keep watching you and if I have to help you every now and then to do that,  _ I will _ .” 

 

Light glanced at the line of people. Most of them were watching their exchange with mild interest which meant that they might remember the two of them being there that night. It didn’t comfort him at all but it wasn’t going to stop him. Likewise, Ryuk’s unexpected visit wasn’t going to stop him either. In fact, it was almost good news. If the vampire planned on helping him from here on out then Light would be able to  _ use _ him to further his goals. 

 

“I thought you were neutral.”

 

“I am.” 

 

Light frowned, eyeing the arm still wrapped around him, “How are you going to get me inside?” 

 

Ryuk’s hand slowly slid down Light’s body, sending chills down the man’s spine. “Vampires get a free pass into the club and so do their companions,” he explained as his hand came to rest on Light’s hip. 

 

He tensed at their new position, not liking their proximity at all. It didn’t matter that Ryuk was extremely cold or a  _ vampire _ , Light hated being touched by anyone. Although, it was deeply unsettling being held around the waist by someone like  _ him _ . 

 

“Is touching me really essenti-” Light’s words caught in his throat as he was suddenly hoisted off the ground by the bloodsucker. Instinctively, his fingers clung to the man as to keep himself from slipping, but he wasn’t completely compliant as he made sure to dig his nails into Ryuk, hoping to cause some irritation. He forced himself not to let his watch make contact with the vampire as they made their way past the bouncer, who gave them a ‘knowing’ wink, and into the club. 

 

As soon as they were through the door, Ryuk allowed Light to free himself from being carried bridal style. He glared up at the other, ungrateful for the vampire’s help because he knew Ryuk had done that just to spite him. Ryuk snickered at his expression and Light knew fighting with him would get him nowhere. If something like that ever happened again, however, Light would kill him on the spot. 

 

“I don’t care if you want to watch or whatever, but we need to split up now. If people think we’re together, I’m not going to have a shot with anyone here,” he told Ryuk in a hushed voice, shifting his gaze to analyze his surroundings. 

 

Everything was either black or dark red, from the walls to the furniture. A bar filled the center of the giant room, dance stages lined the side walls, and a row of doors decorated the back. Light guessed they were VIP rooms for lap dances and other, more vampiric things. He inwardly grimaced at the thought. 

 

“Fine,” he grinned, “I’ll be at the bar.” 

 

Light watched Ryuk leave in that direction while he decided to check out one of the stages. Maybe he’d get lucky and someone would approach him or he could always target the vampire stripper onstage. She was a pretty thing with flowing auburn hair, only covered by a leather corset that she was untying teasingly slow, a black g-string, fishnet stockings, and black studded boots. Light watched her for a while, tuned out of whatever song she was dancing to, and noting  _ everything _ vampiric about her. For instance, her brown eyes flashing red any time she came near one of her aroused, human onlookers. 

 

He knew that all she wanted in this moment, was the taste of blood on her glossy lips. 

 

His eyes moved from the stage in favor of watching the people around him. It was usually hard to tell a human from a vampire but in this place, it was obvious. The humans were desperately throwing themselves at the undead, who sometimes enjoyed their stupidity or arrogantly compelled them to go away. 

 

He idly wondered why anyone would want to be one of their blood bags. 

 

Ryuk was still at the bar, drinking artificial blood from a bottle. He was talking to two other people but staying out of trouble which was enough for Light. He checked his watch to see what time it was, frowning when he saw it was almost 10:00 pm. He still didn’t know who to kill. 

 

“Is this seat taken?” 

 

Light turned to see a handsome black-haired man standing behind the unoccupied seat to his left. He looked different from most of the clubbers, dressed in a formal suit instead of the risque gothic apparel. He was probably on a break from work or something as law-abiding vampires needed to work for a living as well. And that’s what the stranger was--a vampire. There was no question about it. His aura screamed superiority and Light knew this was the man he’d kill next. 

 

He shook his head and the stranger sat down, a sly smile on his face as he openly gave Light a once over. “So, what brings you here?” 

 

“Curiosity mostly. I’ve never been to a vampire club before. I’ve heard good things about them,” Light replied, deciding not to act as desperate as the other humans in the room. He  _ was _ the one approached, after all. 

 

“And? Does it meet your expectations?” 

 

Light brushed his fingers through his hair as he smirked at the other playfully, “No, but you do.”  _ Ew.  _

 

The man grinned, “What are you suggesting?” 

 

_ That I want to kill you out back. _

 

Light leaned forward, placing a hand on the man’s inner thigh and moving his mouth to linger by his ear. “I’d rather show you.” 

 

“Fine by me.” 

 

\------------

 

They wasted no time in leaving the club through a door in the back, leading them out into a narrow alley with no straight shot at the busy street. The cameras facing this area had already been rigged and his gun had a silencer equipped so noise wasn’t going to be a problem. Freshly spilled vampire blood wasn’t going to attract any attention either since the clubgoers would mask the smell. All he had to do was kill the vampire and then walk right back inside the establishment. The only problem was the random man smoking against the building. 

 

Light had allowed the vampire to lead him outside to get some quick action since as it turned out, he was only on a lunch break after all. He was proud that his prediction had been correct but he was starting to realize the cracks in his murder plan. 

 

If he wasn’t able to kill the man soon, he might actually have to follow through with his little charade. Light had an infinite amount of problems with that scenario, which was beginning to seem inevitable. 

 

Lucky for him, the vampire ordered the smoker to leave and that finally gave him an opening. His hand started for the contents of his bag but before his fingers could reach the weapon, he was being pinned roughly against the club’s brick wall. 

 

He flinched at the impact, not expecting the vampire to be so forward. Both of his hands had moved against the vampire's chest out of surprise at suddenly being touched and slammed against a building. Still, he was able to keep a mask of nonchalance as he eyed the black-haired male. 

 

The man’s ice blue eyes were blown with lust as he stared back at him. Light didn’t like it but he wasn’t going to give in. He’d just have to act interested a little while longer and then he’d aim a bullet into the vamp’s heart. 

 

“You’re so hot,” he drawled as he inched his face closer to Light’s, “I can’t wait to taste you.” 

 

As much as his words disgusted him, Light almost smiled at the declaration. He wondered how the vampire would react once he realized his blood was riddled with vervain. Ryuk told him that vervain tasted awful and protected him against compulsion, so if the man was caught off guard, Light might have the chance to act but then again...

 

The vampire might become enraged and that wouldn’t end well for him. 

 

He would just have to act fast 

 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Light teased, bending his neck in an enticing fashion. 

 

The vampire lasered in on the further exposed skin, the blue in his eyes morphing into that telling crimson shade. His mouth moved toward his neck and Light’s hand slowly fell back to his bag, while his left hand moved to the back of the vamp’s head. His fingers massaged his scalp encouragingly but fangs never pierced him. 

 

He could feel the stranger’s lips against his flesh, smiling at his anxiousness. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Feeling me inside of you, marking your pretty skin with my claim...” He kissed his throat teasingly. 

 

Suddenly, a leg nudged its way between his own, putting pressure on his crotch. 

 

Light actually jumped at the intimate contact and the man laughed softly. 

 

“You’re heart’s pounding but... you don’t smell aroused.” 

 

His fingers finally wrapped around his gun but he was having doubts about his speed.  _ Am I going to get a shot off before he has time to react?  _

 

“I’m a little nervous,” he lied, forcing his expression to match, “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

 

The vampire backed up a bit so that he could look at Light through his lashes. “Is that so? I couldn’t help but notice you’ve been rather occupied with your bag,” he said while his fingers traced a smooth line down his throat to his collarbone.

 

Adrenaline kicked in as Light realized his window of opportunity was closing. He didn’t have time to pull his gun with the man’s fingers threatening to choke him at any given time, and he didn’t have the strength to push him away. There was only one option. 

 

The vampire screeched in agony as Light dug his left wrist into the man’s collar, backing away from the human out of instinct and cradling his wound. That was his final mistake as Light drew his gun and fired the fatal shot. 

 

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he staggered before finally collapsing to the ground in a pool of blood. 

 

He quickly hid the gun back in his bag before walking back into the club. He took long strides, trying to get a safe distance away from the fresh crime scene while maintaining a mask of apathy. Ryuk was nowhere to be seen. 

 

Once he was outside, he called a cab that brought him home. 

 

He threw his bag to the floor as soon as he was safely inside his apartment, inwardly cursing himself for being so reckless. He had managed to kill that vampire but the whole ordeal had been much too messy for his liking. He had been so wrapped up into things, he had no idea if anyone had stumbled upon them and then there was the corpse. 

 

Silver affected every vampire differently based on their age and self-control. However, when he decided to use his watch to weaken his enemy, he hadn’t expected it to be so _ effective.  _

 

It wasn’t until after the black-haired monster had fallen dead that Light noticed the gruesome gash on the man’s shoulder, bloody and brimming with pus as smoke wafted from the wound. It was as if he’d been burnt by sunlight itself. 

 

The underside of his watch was also tinted red from the damage he caused. 

 

The wound might have healed within a minute if the vampire was still alive but because he was dead, the gash he made would be there forever. It wouldn’t be enough to incriminate him or anything, but the NPA would know he had almost lost which was exactly what they had hoped would happen. It was infuriating to Light especially since  _ Matsuda _ would gush over the fact. 

 

He had moved too quickly, let his pride take over, and now he was realizing his mistake. 

 

Light wouldn’t be so careless again. After all, he had work to do freeing humanity from the sins of vampires. He was creating a better world for humans one step at a time. If he died before he could finish his mission, they would never see Kira for the god he was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter since it had a little more action in it (even though you're probably more interested in the LawLight lol). The next chapter will have POVs from Light AND L again so that will be wonderful. Anyway, thanks for reading and stuff. I especially appreciated the comments some of you have left! <3


	5. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light is met with a new threat; one he isn't sure he can handle.

Around midnight, the NPA received a frantic phone call about a corpse found in a downtown alley. L had been informed after the response team came and went, removing the body, and marking the area as a crime scene. It was both infuriating and intriguing at the same time. 

 

The details of the murder had yet to be added into the NPA’s database which had L viciously gnawing at the pad of his thumb. This was because the nightly response team wasn’t in charge of writing the official reports. They would only create the initial report that would touch on the bare minimum discovered at the crime scene. So as of now, all that L knew was that a vampire had been found dead in an unnamed alley. They didn’t even clarify if it had been a murder or not!

 

L sighed loudly as he took a sip of sugar-filled tea. He knew he’d have to wait quite a few hours before the full-time officers got to work and filled him in on all of the details. He didn’t understand why people needed  _ so much _ sleep. It bothered him and really, it made him wish he could compel the members of the NPA to stay awake and working at all times. 

 

Out of pure boredom, L flipped on the security camera footage from NPA headquarters so that it displayed on the hotel suite’s television. Unsurprisingly, the building was completely empty.

 

At least, with the cameras now installed, he could feel comfortable sending Watari there today. He had much to discuss with the task force, after all. 

 

Until then, L spent his time staring at the dull footage, drinking tea, and getting lost in thoughts about the Kira investigation as well as the dilemma of his fledglings. He really hoped that Matt meant what he said about dealing with Mello and Near. Those two, clingy as they were, would need close contact with each other to satisfy the needs of their bonds and since Matt was more independent, L knew the two rivals would have no choice but to rely on each other. Without L around, he wasn’t sure if there was anything stopping them from killing each other. 

 

His spiral of thoughts was eventually interrupted when Watari stepped into the room, dressed in his heavy trench coat, face mask, and hat. Like L, the man also had strange sleeping habits; resting at night mostly since L always needed someone to physically represent him during the day. 

 

“Good morning, L,” he said with the tilt of his hat. 

 

The raven-haired male hardly glanced at the ancient, but it was enough of an acknowledgement for the both of them. “You’re going so soon?” 

 

“I believe that I am to arrive for their morning meeting and then proceed to meet with the Kira task force for the rest of the day. Am I wrong?” 

 

“What time is it?” 

 

“6:00 am.” 

 

L took another sip of his tea in understanding. It wasn’t unusual for him to lose track of time when he was preoccupied with pondering a great deal of things. 

 

He watched as his sire grabbed the briefcase resting on the dining table and left without another word. Once he was gone, L turned his attention back to the TV screen, anticipating the arrival of many police officers there soon. 

 

\------------

 

The NPA held a mandatory meeting at 6:30 am every Monday and Friday. The conferences presented an opportunity for every officer, no matter their rank, to speak about individual cases, ask questions, and share input about anything and everything relevant to the interests of the NPA officials. The meetings rarely ran past ten minutes due to a lack of interest from all parties and Light thought today’s would be just as pointless and mundane as usual. 

 

He was wrong. 

 

When he stepped into the briefing room, he could instantly tell that this meeting would be different. For one, the room was buzzing with hushed voices filled with excitement which was uncommon so early in the morning. Then there was the projector screen standing in the front which meant that either they were going to show a video, picture, or presentation. 

 

The two higher-ups sitting at the desks next to the screen seemed deathly serious. 

 

_ What’s going on here? _

 

Light took a seat in the back next to his coworker/high school friend, Yamamoto, flashing him a small smile before retrieving his portable coffee cup from his bag and setting it on the table in front of him. He was exhausted from last night’s activities and he needed the caffeine to keep himself alert and unsuspicious. 

 

“Hey, Light. Do you have any idea what this is all about?” his friend asked. 

 

The brunet shrugged, checking his watch to see they had five minutes until the meeting would start. “Do you?” 

 

He exhaled loudly, folding his arms on the table in annoyance, “No. But it can’t be anything good.” 

 

Light nodded in agreement as another sat down beside him. He glanced over to see a barely wake Matsuda hunched over in his chair. He had probably been out drinking again. 

 

“My head hurts!” the older officer groaned.

 

Yamamoto laughed, “Seriously, man. Learn your limits!” 

 

“Or at the very least, don’t go out drinking the night before work,” Light muttered with a frown. 

 

Matsuda groaned again, “Don’t tell me what to do...” 

 

Yamamoto continued to chuckle at the man’s hangover while Light’s eyes darted to a strange man entering the room. He was dressed in a dark trench coat with a hat and a mask that effectively hid his face. In his hands, he was holding a rather large briefcase with multiple locks on the outside. Light’s brows furrowed as he watched the stranger move to the front of the room, only to hover off to the side. No one seemed to pay him any mind apart from the two men nearest him; Kanichi Takimura and Koreyoshi Kitamura. 

 

“Who is that guy?” Light elbowed Matsuda curiously, seeing as he was the eldest member of the three. If either of them knew, it would be him. 

 

Matsuda squinted one eye open as he scanned the room lazily. “Who?” 

 

“The guy in the trench coat.” 

 

“Oh!” 

 

Yamamoto and Light peered at the black-haired officer expectantly. 

 

“Dunno,” he answered airily before burying his face back in his arms. 

 

Light took a drink to hide his annoyance. Sometimes, Matsuda was so unhelpful it hurt. He honestly didn’t know how the man had managed to survive so long on his own. He was a total idiot. 

 

“Alright, everyone. Good morning and welcome to Friday’s mandatory meeting,” Takimura greeted everyone with a scowl, “Today, we have a lot to discuss.” 

 

“As you all know, a serial killer widely known as Kira has been actively killing vampires for the last three months,” Deputy Director Kitamura spoke, “Five exemplary officers were assigned to a task force in charge of the investigation on Kira. These members have been doing everything in their power to find and arrest Kira; however, the NPA can no longer take full responsibility for catching the serial killer. The vampire council publicly responded to the murder of an ancient by sending one of their strongest to deal with the situation at hand. There are no clues as to  _ who _ this ‘avenger’ is or  _ what _ they intend to do, but their actions will  _ not _ stop our investigation. So long as Kira is killing on Japanese soil, the NPA will continue to pursue him.” 

 

“We realize that we are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to Kira, however. He has proven to be difficult to track and now that we’re racing against an unknown ancient, arresting him seems unlikely,” Takimura added gruffly. 

 

Light internally smiled at his words. 

 

“Which is why we’ve accepted help from an outside source.” 

 

Murmurs broke around the room at the news, voicing their confusion, excitement, and predictions as to  _ who _ might be aiding them. Matsuda covered his ears at all of the noise but even  _ he _ seemed anxious over Takimura’s announcement. 

 

“We don’t need help!” someone grunted, “We’ll find Kira on our own!” 

 

Other people joined in, agreeing with whoever it was who first voiced their distaste. While all of this happened, the masked figure up front took his time unlocking his briefcase which eventually revealed a laptop. He placed it on Kitamura’s desk and then proceeded to hook it up to the projector.

 

The room became eerily quiet when the screen lit up in white with only the letter L standing out against the bright backdrop.

 

They were speechless. 

 

Light was speechless. 

 

Sure, he had been expecting the NPA to ask for help but never once had he considered the possibility of the one helping them being the greatest detective in the world. Never once had he thought that L of all people, would be interested in the Kira investigation. 

 

“Greetings to all of you at the NPA. I am L,” came the overly distorted voice from the laptop. 

 

“Holy shit!” Matsuda gasped, sitting up in his seat as if the prospect of L had cured him of his hangover completely. 

 

Light watched the screen in earnest, finding himself rattled by the anonymous detective’s sudden involvement in  _ his _ case. He knew he could outsmart the police and he was sure he’d defeat the ancient sent his way but L? The man had solved every case he joined and he only ever offered his assistance in the most bizarre and mysterious ones to date.

 

_ So why is he here!? Kira’s not extreme enough for you, L! Not yet, anyway... _

 

“It has come to my attention that you need help in finding the vampire hunter known as Kira and I am willing to do just that. I will join the current members of the Kira task force and use my intellect and our combined resources to bring him to justice. I will also need the full cooperation of all other members of the NPA to assist me further if needed.”

 

“Why are you helping us!?” the man from earlier asked, “There are plenty of other criminals in the world right now doing much worse things than killing a few vamps!” 

 

“Make no mistake, Kira may not be a child rapist or a cannibal but he is evil.” 

 

_ You think I’m evil? _ Light’s jaw locked but he kept his calm poker face, not letting L’s words affect him on the outside. 

 

“Kira is a murderer, committing hate crimes against vampires based on their species alone. What he is doing is unforgivable and he will be brought to justice. There is a chance that Kira can evade the NPA as well as the vampire council, allowing him to continue his atrocities. But I assure you, he cannot evade  _ me _ .” 

 

With that, the screen went black and the masked man started putting the laptop back into the briefcase. Now that Light knew that L was involved, he also knew that the strange man was Watari. He was the only known person that represented L. 

 

“I can’t believe this! We’re letting some PI boss us around!? We’re better than that!” 

 

“Shut up! L’s a better detective than you’ll ever be!” 

 

“He doesn’t care about Kira! He just cares about solving another case!” 

 

“Bullshit! You’re just mad you’re not part of the task force!” 

 

“QUIET ALL OF YOU!” Takimura shouted through the room, “L is our only chance at catching Kira. I’m not asking you to be his slave, I’m not even asking you to be on the task force with him, but I  _ am _ asking you to cooperate with him as I promised all of you would. If you have a problem with that, then you can hand in your badge.” 

 

Those who spoke up against L settled down reluctantly, bringing great relief to Light and Matsuda. Their shouting had brought both of them a headache. 

 

“Moving forward, L will only be working intimately with the Kira task force. If you are not one of the five members assigned to this case, you have nothing to worry about. I doubt you’ll ever hear from L again,” Watari said a matter of factly before approaching Chief Yagami.

 

“This concludes the meeting,” Takimura declared and the room quickly emptied. 

 

Light wasted no time in leaving the briefing room and heading toward his private office. He needed time to himself; time to think about how L would change his plans as Kira. He knew the detective was insanely smart and even though Light was also abnormally intelligent, he wasn’t sure if he would stand a chance against the greatest detective in the world. 

 

He had covered his tracks well but he knew that Kira could be profiled based on his past dozen killings. If they narrowed it down, which they most certainly would, it was only a matter of time before Light became one of the main suspects. 

 

_ Relax, Light. You’re innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around. Even if I’m a suspect, they can’t do anything without physical evidence against me which they’ll never have.  _

 

He took heavy steps to his office, trying not to overthink the matter of L and calm his nerves. Stopping outside his locked door, he dug out his keys and brought them to the door, only to abruptly halt in his movements. 

 

His eyes flickered to his door handle and he knew. 

 

Someone had been inside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light and L are slowly being brought closer together. Pretty exciting! It's only a matter of time before things start to escalate.


	6. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light contemplates the position he's in while L addresses the task force.

Light snapped out of his initial shock of discovering someone had been inside his office--someone that wasn’t him, and unlocked his door as if nothing was wrong when in fact everything was. He breathed in and out deeply as he made his way inside, shutting the door behind him but not locking it.

 

He took longs strides to his desk and sat down in good posture, turning on his computer, and resting his hands on his lap as he pieced together the break-in.

 

The brunet knew that’s what it had been because he cleaned his office himself, making it abundantly clear that he didn’t want a janitor inside to mess with his things. None of his co-workers had any reason to be there either unless they were trying to find dirt on him. As Light Yagami was young and virtually perfect when it came to most things, many of his peers disliked him. They couldn’t accept his intelligence for what it was, claiming his success was all thanks to his father’s position as Chief.

 

Ever since he joined, he’d been worried about one of these jealous brutes digging into his personal space in search of anything blackmail worthy. He knew there was nothing of that sort in his office but he didn’t need anyone there nonetheless. Thus, he had set up a security system of sorts, to see if anyone broke inside after hours.

 

He couldn’t make it seem like he had anything to hide, so he didn’t do anything silly like putting a scrap of paper in between the door. No, he had two less noticeable tricks up his sleeve.

 

The first, the door handle itself. Whenever Light exited his office, he always turned the handle so that it was slightly down. It was unnatural so someone would have to force it like that after closing the door. If any of the idiots from his work were the culprit, they wouldn’t be clever enough to realize this.

 

The second was a stick of pencil lead in the door hinge. If someone went in without removing the lead, it would snap in two without anyone being the wiser. This setup was nearly impossible to maneuver around as the stick of lead was barely visible to the human eye and no one would ever think to look there anyway.

 

The pencil lead acted as a sign of an intruder and the door handle let him know who might have been responsible for the petty crime.

 

When Light stood outside his door, he noticed that his door handle was crooked per usual, but when he went to remove the lead, he saw it was missing.

 

Therefore, someone went into his office last night and they were most likely intelligent or detail-oriented at the very least to have reset his door handle.

 

With L’s arrival, Light was confident he knew just who it was that intruded on his privacy. He doubted that the detective would have gone into the building or anywhere public for that matter, so that left Watari or someone else working for him that he was unaware of. Either way, for some reason L had wanted someone to enter Light’s office.

 

_Why?_

 

He felt his hands trembling and clenched them into fists to hide it. His eyes gazed at his screen as he waited for the login page to fully load.

 

_Does he know I’m Kira!?_

 

Light swallowed as he lifted his fingers to his keyboard and typed in his username and password.

 

_No. I made a profile of Kira a while ago, so I know exactly what L would have deduced. I fit the profile but so do several others in this very building. There’s just no way he could know so soon._

 

Once his desktop was up, Light steered his mouse onto his email icon. He liked to have it open throughout the day as he was often contacted through this method.

 

_Okay, this is L I’m thinking about. He’s probably the smartest man in the world. There’s not a doubt in my mind he hasn’t already made an exact replica of the Kira profile I put together at home. He must have decided the chance of a police officer being Kira was high and made Watari look around._

 

He had one email.

 

_But why stop there?_ L was the world’s best detective but he wasn’t well liked for a reason. Often times, he chose bordering-on illegal tactics to take down criminals. Light wouldn’t put it past him to do something crazy...like say, installing hidden cameras in every room of the building.

 

Light glanced around his office, not being able to notice an obvious installment but there were several nooks and crannies that would work well for such a purpose.

 

He smirked to himself, not feeling the need to hide the expression as he read his email. It would probably do him good to show some emotions at least. If he acted too bored or on edge, he was certain L would doubt his innocence.

 

The email was from Hideki Ide.

 

**Subject: New Assignment**

 

**To: Light Yagami**

 

Good work on your last assignment, Yagami. You were as impressive as ever. You’ll be glad to hear we have something new for you to work on now.

Keep with the same members you used last time; Yamamoto and Sanami. I know you’d rather do this by yourself but protocol is protocol. Plus, It’s always good to have extra hands. I don’t want you to overwork yourself.

 

Light rolled his eyes at the text. He could do without the sentimental facade.

 

One week ago, a woman was nearly killed by her alleged stalker. Somehow, she managed to survive the assault but her assailant did not. She reported the incident right away and because she showed signs of shock, she wasn’t properly interrogated. As it stands, we don’t know how the man died. The forensic report showed that the victim had nothing to do with his demise.

 

As such, I’d like for you to meet with her for questioning and if possible, solve the case if it is a case at all.

 

See attached for her file and crime scene report.

 

Hideki Ide - NPA Officer

 

He clicked open the attached documents and began reading. For now, he would lie low as Kira and work on this new case for show. Hopefully, Matsuda would fill him in on the investigation with L. He’d hate to lose his fly on the wall.

 

_You say Kira can’t evade you, L? Well, we’ll see about that._

 

\------------

 

His unpopularity with some of the members of Japan’s National Police Agency was hardly surprising. In fact, he felt the anger toward him was quite justified. L was justice but even _he_ acknowledged that he had several flaws.

 

In some ways, L was just as bad as the monsters he hunted.

 

Though, he didn’t let himself dwell on such thoughts for long. He had a case to work, regardless of how little he wanted to be involved.

 

He was sitting on the hotel couch with a box of donuts set on his neighboring cushion, staring at the police camera recordings playing out on the large TV screen in front of him. He waited patiently for Chief Yagami to escort Watari to another floor of the building and into a rather private conference room that acted as their makeshift workstation.

 

Once they were in the room, Watari went into the briefcase and turned on the laptop. L’s own laptop was resting on the other cushion next to him, displaying the voice scrambler software he made.

 

As soon as his letter was boldly displayed on Watari’s screen, Chief Yagami spoke up.

 

“I’m sorry you had to deal with all of that, L. It was very unprofessional of those men to insult you the way they did when you’re only trying to help.”

 

“Yagami-san, that is not important. We should be more concerned with the matter of Kira, yes?”

 

Soichiro sighed in relief, “Of course. I take it you know who we are already?”

 

“Correct.”

 

The five members of the task force had all taken seats around the room, but their eyes were all focused on his letter respectively. At least these five had more sense than those that berated him openly in front of their superiors. Their behavior had been very foolish and he wondered if they’d receive repercussions as a result.

 

“Before I say anything regarding my thoughts on this investigation, I would like to know the details of the causality last night.”

 

“I figured as much. Aizawa, read the details.”

 

The man with an afro lifted a thin stack of papers up in front of him as he began to relay the information to L and the others.

 

“At 11:45 pm, last night, a couple stumbled upon a fresh corpse in an alley outside the popular club, Fangtasy. They called the police and the response team arrived at the scene at 11:52 pm. They cleared the outside area and put the club on lockdown. Everyone in the club at this time was recorded in writing before they were allowed to vacate the vicinity as well. Though, the response team doesn’t believe Kira would be around since the body appeared an hour old at least.

 

The deceased was a male vampire, 78 years of age, identified as Stephen Gevanni. He was found sprawled out on his back in the center of the alley right outside Fangtasy’s back door. There was a gunshot wound in his chest, centered perfectly for the heart. The forensic report states the wound was caused by a wooden bullet fired approximately four to five feet away from the victim with the gun aimed at his front.

 

There was a second wound located around the victim’s right shoulder. It was a narrow but deep gash stretched across the male’s collar. The wound was more grotesque than the fatal one, with blisters, dried pus, and darkened blood steadily oozing out. It was concluded the wound was caused by a silver object with enough force to dig deep into the victim’s flesh. Judging by the size and shape of the gash, the object could be that of a bracelet or similar.”

 

Aizawa stopped to shuffle through the papers before adding, “The rest is just the list of clubgoers.”

 

“Sounds like a copycat,” Ukita said with an air of confidence.

 

“I agree,” Aizawa chimed in, “There are too many differences between this murder and the others Kira committed.”

 

L allowed the cops to discuss amongst themselves while he let the information sink in. There were several differences, as Aizawa had already noted, such as the time of death. Kira had never killed more than one vampire a week and to kill one only two days after another was highly out of character. From his experience as a detective, L had learned that killers with clear patterns very rarely broke them and Kira had _definite_ patterns.

 

Then again, Kira had already broken his pattern by killing an ancient. Perhaps, he wasn’t as predictable as L had originally deduced.

 

But he understood why the vampire hunter might act again so soon. Being chased by the NPA and vampires alike, it was probable that Kira had decided to kill last night because it _would_ be so unexpected.

 

L lightly chewed on his thumb as he considered the other, more alarming factor of the most recent murder in Tokyo--the inconsistency of the killing itself.

 

Not only had the victim been shot through the chest, he’d also received a secondary wound caused by silver. This was a major variation from the other 11 murders, and couldn’t simply be overlooked. Such a change had L questioning if the murder was in fact, committed by a second party; a copycat killer or a supporter. It could be possible...

 

_No. This has to be the work of Kira._

 

If the hunter had decided to be unpredictable to mess with anyone on his trail, then it would make sense that he would try a new tactic as well. Instead of stalking and shooting unsuspecting vampires, Kira had chosen to walk straight into a nightclub crawling with the enemy.

 

L turned to his laptop for a moment and typed the name Stephen Gevanni into the database of registered vampires, pulling up the man’s file so that he could analyze the appearance of the victim. He was a young vampire but there was no doubt the man was handsome.

 

He imagined this man inside the club. Gevanni was attractive enough that he could have any human in the room. His file told L that the black-haired male worked as a financial advisor at night so he had visited the club during a short break from his job. Whatever his reasons for being there, he wouldn’t have been able to stay for long. With that in mind, Gevanni had most likely been the one to approach Kira in his haste.

 

Someone as handsome as Gevanni wouldn’t settle for just any human, though. That meant that either Kira smelled intoxicatingly good or he was visually appealing.

 

From there, they would have went outside under the false pretense of intimate relations. Kira would be on edge, waiting for the perfect moment to strike while Gevanni would be eager to indulge himself.

 

L thought of the gash the vampire had and smirked. So, Kira had faced a bit of trouble and had to rely on a weapon other than his trusted gun to weaken his prey. Then, he had finally done the deed.

 

_How interesting._

 

_Gevanni could have killed you last night, Kira. He saw your face and in close proximity, he could sense your emotions. You were reckless but I thank you for it._

 

This little stunt had given L at least one major fact about Kira. Being able to lure a vampire into an isolated alley as well as striking one with silver meant, that without a doubt, Kira was human.

 

“This isn’t the work of a copycat killer, I assure you. Kira was the one that killed Stephen Gevanni,” L interrupted the conversing officers as he snatched a doughnut from the box beside him.

 

“How do you know?” Mogi asked.

 

“Simple. After killing Naomi Misora, Kira knew that he would be actively hunted by vampires and that those who weren’t after him, would be extremely cautious. So, he panicked and rushed to kill another vampire before anyone would expect him to. It will be hard for him to kill again now but I know that he will try.”

 

Soichiro frowned, “How are you so sure?”

 

L licked up a strip of chocolate frosting from the doughnut in his hand, “Because Kira believes he is doing the world a favor by killing vampires. It is improbable that he would stop now that the entire world knows of his existence.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Wait! Why do you keep referring to Kira as a _he_?” Matsuda questioned loudly.

 

“That is also simple,” L replied flatly. Using his free hand, the raven-haired detective opened his untraceable email account, attached the Kira profile he had made on the airplane, and sent the message to Matsuda’s work email. “I’ve just sent an email to you, Matsuda, that will answer the question you asked. The document attached is that of a Kira profile I made. As you can see, I’ve put together several deductions based on his crimes so far. They are based on the percentage of likeliness and as such, I’ve decided to assume the higher percentiles when it comes to addressing Kira. Thus, because I wrote that Kira was more likely male than female, I’ve taken to referring to him as such. I could be wrong, but as you can see, the chance of him being female is only 33% but I’ve just now lowered that to 10% because of this most recent act. If Kira had come face to face with a vampire and had to enact some form of self-defense, it is far more likely that a male would survive the altercation.”

 

“Wow!” Matsuda exclaimed as he opened the email on his laptop, “That’s amazing!”

 

The other officers made their way over to his computer and crowded around to read the profile as well. L took this time to continue licking the frosting off his pastry.

 

“Oh my gosh!”

 

L glanced at the camera footage to gaze at Matsuda’s frazzled expression. He knew the profile was impressive but the man was clearly overreacting.

 

“This is almost exactly what Light described to me a few weeks ago!”

 

L’s eyes narrowed at the feed.

 

“Light!? As in _my_ _son_ , Light? Why would he be talking to _you_ about Kira?” Soichiro demanded an answer from the younger cop.

 

Matsuda’s face went red, “Well, uh, I guess I kind of let some stuff slip about the investigation...”

 

“WHAT!?” The officers shouted in unison.

 

Aizawa spun on the other male, “What were you thinking!?”

 

“I’m sorry! It’s just that, he’s so smart and we weren’t really figuring anything out. I just told him some basic facts about Kira and asked him what he thought.”

 

“YOU IDIOT!”

 

“Wait,” L interrupted calmly, “Matsuda, go on.”

 

Matsuda began fidgeting nervously in his seat, “Well, he basically said the same stuff about Kira as you did. Though, he wasn’t as descriptive. Honestly, I thought he was getting carried away so I didn’t think much of it at the time...”

 

“I know you’re friends with my son, Matsuda, but you can’t be so careless in the future. Light isn’t assigned to this task force so he has no business getting involved in the case. Please, don’t encourage him and refrain from releasing any more information. Otherwise, we’ll have to remove you from this investigation,” Soichiro scolded the man.

 

Matsuda’s shoulders fell as he apologized once again but L was lost in his thoughts.

 

His Kira profile had been based on details small enough to be overlooked by everyone except him and one other--Light Yagami. It was _very_ interesting to him. So interesting that he would take time to research said man. Perhaps, he would be a helpful addition to their small task force.

  
L wouldn’t lie to himself, though. A big part of him wanted to put a face to the name of the man clever enough to reach the same deductions as the world’s greatest detective going off _even less_ information than he had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this chapter even if it was a bit slow. At least L is aware of Light's existence now lol.


	7. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L's distracted but Light feels more focused than ever.

“You think that Kira is a police officer!?” Soichiro exclaimed as he read through the Kira profile with the others of the task force.

 

“It’s a highly likely probability, yes,” L replied offhandedly as his focus was currently elsewhere. After the mentioning of Light Yagami, the detective had been itching to figure out more about the chief’s son.

 

“Could you elaborate?”

 

Onyx eyes flickered slowly to the screen as he forced down his irritation of being asked to explain his reasoning. He knew he’d done as much in the document already so it seemed tiresome and unnecessary. It was almost funny how people still doubted his notions when he had never been wrong before.

 

“Kira’s aim is extremely precise and as gun laws are strict in Japan, I believe that he must have ties to either the military or police.”

 

Yagami-san didn’t seem satisfied with his explanation, however. At this point, L was certain his concern didn’t lie with his reasoning but with _his own_ pride. He was the chief of the NPA and he appeared to have a strong sense of justice and trust--almost _too_ strong. Soichiro was upset that one of his coworkers could be a serial killer; a feeling he was entitled to have but L still found the personal turmoil _distracting_. A trait he shared with his son apparently.

 

“L, your Kira profile is very impressive,” Aizawa started, “But it’s not hard evidence and right now, we need something _real_.”

 

“I am well aware, Aizawa.”

 

“So what’s the plan?” Matsuda asked excitedly.

 

“I would like the files of every NPA officer to start, including their test scores on all weapon firings. Also, I want access to the security footage from the cameras in Fangtasy and its neighboring buildings.”

 

\------------

 

After reading the email from Ide regarding his new case, Light had made to contact the girl he was supposed to interrogate. Her name was Misa Amane--a popular idol and model with a very busy schedule. He wasn’t able to directly contact the woman because of her stardom, however. Instead, he reached her manager, Yoshi.

 

At first, the woman had been firm about Misa being too busy to meet with the police anytime soon but faced with his charm, she stood no chance. It didn’t take long for her to reconsider and give in to his request.

 

He was to meet with the idol at noon.

 

With the scheduling out of the way, Light left his office to seek out his partners on the poor excuse of a case. Yamamoto was easy to locate, laxing it up in the break room per usual.

 

The brunet approached his ‘friend’ making coffee, leaning against the counter once his presence was made known.

 

“We’ve got work to do.”

 

The man smiled, “Yeah? Is it as exciting as working with L?”

 

Light frowned, “Unfortunately, no.”

 

Yamamoto didn’t seem too dejected as he turned to face Light expectantly.

 

“It’s just an interrogation to start, nothing special.”

 

“Ooo, who are we questioning?”

 

“Some Misa Amane.”

 

“ _The_ Misa Amane!? As in Misa Misa!?” Yamamoto asked enthusiastically, coffee flying out of his mug as he slammed it down on the counter. “I love her! She’s amazing!”

 

Light tried not to cringe. He never understood the whole infatuation with celebrities. “That’s the one.”

 

Yamamoto planted his hands on Light’s shoulders, an intense look in his eyes, “Let me be the one to question her.”

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Light said, tense from the unwanted physical contact.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“She was recently attacked by an obsessed stalker. She shouldn’t have to meet another so soon.”

 

Yamamoto guffawed as he released his grip. “That’s so mean, Light-kun! I just want her autograph...”

 

“What are you two doing?”

 

Both of the men in question looked toward the entryway of the break room to see a formally dressed woman standing there, a frown adorning her pretty face.

 

“Sanami!” Yamamoto squealed as he rushed over to the woman excitedly, “We’ve been assigned another case!”

 

She cocked her head, “Oh? Is it just the three of us again?”

 

Light nodded, “For now, we’re just interrogating a witness. I doubt the ‘case’ will go beyond that.”

 

“But that’s not all! The witness is Misa Misa!” Yamamoto added giddily.

 

“Who?”

 

The black-haired male jumped back as if he’d dodged a bullet, his mouth and eyes gaping in shock. “How do you not know Misa!?”

 

Sanami’s eyes shifted to Light as though begging for help. He mouthed the word celebrity and she turned back to Yamamoto.

 

“Oh, of course. You mean _that_ Misa Misa. I think I saw her on a billboard or something once,” she lied to settle their coworker down.

 

Yamamoto’s eyes gleamed at her words, “So you _do_ know her! Excellent! Then you must know she’s perfe-”

 

“Alright, that’s enough. We need to prepare for the interrogation,” Light interrupted as he began walking out of the room, “It’s at noon.”

 

“Right,” Sanami replied as she easily met his pace, leaving their peer to trail desperately behind them.

 

\------------

 

Light ushered the model into the interrogation room, smoothly blocking Yamamoto’s attempt at getting anywhere near the blonde. Needless to say, he was relieved when the door shut behind them, trapping him and Misa alone together. Of course, they weren’t completely alone for Sanami and Yamamoto were stationed on the other side of the one-way window, monitoring their every move. There were also four cameras in each corner of the small space.

 

Normally, this room was only used for questioning criminals but since Misa hadn’t been dealt with properly, they had to make do. Though, he was sure the model must feel uncomfortable under so much scrutiny.

 

Or maybe not.

 

Now that he was face to face with her, Light was able to give her his full attention and he was taken aback by her demeanor. The girl was sitting cross-legged with her hands resting delicately in front of her, an airy smile stretching her heavily glossed lips. She didn’t seem at all bothered by her situation, in fact, she seemed to be enjoying it.

 

He plastered on his winning smile as he addressed her, “Hello, Misa. My name’s Light Yagami and I’ll be the one questioning you today. Thank you for finding time to meet with me through your busy schedule.”

 

Misa’s cheeks dusted pink at his charming facade as she shook her head fiercely. “Oh, it was really no trouble at all, Light! I knew I’d have to meet with someone eventually and I don’t mind taking a break from the photoshoot.”

 

_Wow, her voice is annoyingly high pitched._

 

“Even so, I’ll try to make this quick. Why don’t you start by telling me what happened that night, from the beginning?”

 

She gave a short nod before beginning slowly, “Okay. So, I had been busy all day filming for a commercial and it ended up running late. I sent my driver home an hour or so before I was released because he’d been waiting for me so long already. Plus, the studio was only a few blocks from my house so I thought I could just walk.”

 

She hesitated a moment, her brows furrowing as she readied herself to recall the horror of that night. “I was only a block away from home when _he_ came out of nowhere. I’d never seen the man in my life but he was holding a knife and yelling at me!”

 

“What did he say?” Light asked softly.

 

Misa’s eyes met his and she swallowed, “He said that if he couldn’t have me, no one could.”

 

_How cliche..._

 

“I was so scared I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even scream and then all of a sudden he was running at me, trying to stab me but I... I...”

 

“It’s okay, Misa,” the brunet spoke as he rested a hand on her trembling ones, “It’s all over now. He won’t be able to hurt you ever again.”

 

She smiled weakly as she tried to blink back tears. “I know. It’s just that I can picture everything so clearly. Anyway, I used my arms as a shield. It should have hurt but it didn’t then.”

 

_That would be your adrenaline kicking in._

 

“He kept cutting me again and again almost as if he was blind. But after a while... he stopped.”

 

“Stopped?”

 

“Yeah. He didn’t look angry or sad or anything either. He was just standing there like a zombie. I stared at him but he didn’t seem like he could see me and then he stabbed hi- himself in the... in the throat.”

 

Her eyes squinted shut once the words left her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks, as though she couldn’t handle voicing the memory. The way she was talking, even with her having a career as an actress, Light knew she wasn’t lying to him. However, he couldn’t help but think that she wasn't telling him everything. The fact that the man had killed himself answered the question of the forensic report. The reason there were no fingerprints but his own on the knife was because he was the one to do the deed. Still, Light couldn’t get past one part of her story.

 

_“He was just standing there like a zombie.”_

 

Why would a man with clear intentions of murder suddenly stop in his act and why would he look so empty? He understood that psychopaths were unpredictable but this was a bit of a stretch. Surely, if the man had decided to commit suicide, he would have shown at least some emotion beforehand.

 

_Unless..._

 

Light’s eyes scanned the model, taking in her cross jewelry, gothic style dress, flashy makeup, and _there!_

 

He would have missed it had Misa not just brushed her hair behind her ear, embarrassed by her show of tears. As her brown eyes met his once again, he drew away from his discovery and went back to maintaining face. He threw his smile out the window and settled for a look of extreme concern.

 

“That must have been very hard for you, Misa. You’re incredibly strong for making it through that. And if anyone else were in your shoes, I doubt they’d be able to move on as well as you are. You’re truly astounding, being able to manage on your own,” he inwardly smirked as he slyly made at pulling her strings.  

 

Her eyes sparkled with flattery as she gripped his hand in hers. “Thank you, but I’m not alone! I have Rem!”

 

_Rem?_ “A friend?”

 

“Um, yeah. She’s been really supportive and very protective of me. I wouldn’t be here now if not for her,” Misa explained with a blush.

 

_You wouldn’t be here without her, huh?_

 

“She sounds like a great friend,” he said with a gentle smile.

 

_I wonder if she’s the one responsible for that mark on your neck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100 kudos already!? That's amazing! Thank you all so much for your support. I'm going to give it my all to keep you guys entertained with this story. I promise things can only get better from here on out. 
> 
> Also, before anyone asks... the reason all but one of my chapters are titled "Investigation" is because that's the arc we're in right now. There will be 3 total. So once the chapter title switches, you'll know we're 1/3 done with this story. Of course, I can't guarantee how long each arc is going to be but I do know what's in store for them. 
> 
> Stay tuned!


	8. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L's interest in the Kira investigation grows. Light's paid a visit.

While the task force went through the files of their coworkers, searching diligently for anyone who could fit the Kira profile they had, L analyzed the security footage he had asked for. First, L focused on the camera best angled toward the back door of the nightclub, watching everyone who went in and out of it around the time of 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Interestingly enough, he never saw anyone that even sort of resembled Gevanni in the footage. That was strange, to say the least.

 

But, perhaps they hadn’t went through that way. Maybe they’d walked through the alleyway itself. Maybe they’d never been in the club at all. 

 

These thoughts were also shot down as he realized that only one person had gone down the alley and they appeared to be very erotically dressed; probably employed at the club. Somehow he doubted Kira was a stripper, but he wouldn’t mi-

 

“Have you found anything yet?” Matsuda asked the monitor after a while. 

 

L glanced at his  _ own _ camera’s footage and frowned, “No. I believe Kira somehow managed to alter the camera feeds, replacing them with recordings from earlier in the week.” 

 

This captured the attention of the officers there, their eyes peering at the laptop anxiously. The detective could almost feel their hope sinking at his words. 

 

“This is only a small hindrance, I assure you. We won’t be able to recover the actual recordings of that night but a hacker always leaves a trail, no matter how small.” He’d have to contact Matt about this as he held more knowledge in hacking than himself. 

 

“How can you be so sure?” Aizawa demanded, “Kira’s evaded us at every turn!” 

 

“Aizawa,” Soichiro spoke up suddenly, “It sounds to me like you’ve given up already.” 

 

The afroed man turned to his superior and shrunk a bit under his gaze, “Sir, I didn’t mean it like that.” 

 

“I know what you meant, Aizawa. So far our investigation has come up with nothing as to who Kira may be, but that’s going to change. Remember that L is here for a reason. It’s his specialty to solve the impossible so let’s have some faith,” the Chief declared proudly.

 

It seemed as though the man had finally gotten over his personal qualms of looking into his subordinates. 

 

“Yes, sir,” he grunted lowly before sitting back down respectfully. 

 

“I’ll have one of my associates look into the security footage but until then, what have you gathered?” L asked as he stared longingly toward the kitchen. What he would give to have Watari back to make him some tea. 

 

Surprisingly, it was Mogi who spoke up first. “We’ve found quite a few people that match the profile you made, though the extent of their likeness differs. However, if we were to narrow our suspects down based on their firing scores alone, only three people in the NPA stand out.”

 

“That is assuming that any of them actually  _ are _ Kira. There’s a chance that he could have dumbed down his abilities for this very reason,” Ukita added. 

 

L recognized that Ukita could be right. If Kira was as smart as he was starting to seem, albeit very reckless, he wouldn’t put it past the man to hide his true abilities with a gun. But then, L also thought that Kira had quite a bit of pride and as such, he would want to excel in all things, especially regarding his career. If he wasn’t a top gunman, he would have at least scored proficiently. 

 

“Who are they?” 

 

“Kosuke Ryo, Minato Heiwajima, and...” Matsuda trailed off as he stared at the papers in his hands. 

 

“My son,” the chief finished for him, “It’s common knowledge he scored excellently on his weapons qualification.” 

 

Matsuda nodded as he set the files back on the table and turned to the screen. 

 

L folded his arms atop his knees as he memorized the names. He wasn’t entirely surprised that Yagami-san’s son had been part of this list as he’d already appeared to be a star at the station. It only made the raven-haired male more interested in the young officer, though. 

 

“That should be fine for today,” he told them, noting they all seemed grateful to retire for the evening. “However, I would like us to keep in contact over the weekend as well. Don’t be surprised if I reach you by phone or email and please, be prepared to respond promptly.” 

 

The detectives lost a bit of their relief then. 

 

“Even if it is a weekend, we still have an obligation to the NPA. Should you have any need to reach us, I will be more than happy to comply,” Soichiro said as he stood from his seat. 

 

The others voiced their agreement as they too stood to gather their belongings. 

 

“Watari, bring the files of the three listed and come quickly. I require tea.” 

 

\------------

 

After he’d finished questioning the blonde bimbo, Light had shared his concerns with his colleagues. They had listened in on their entire conversation so all he had to do was bring up the key points. Yamamoto and Sanami held onto his every word, believing him without a doubt. He had never steered them wrong before. 

 

They weren’t able to see the bite mark on her neck from the cameras or the window, but they didn’t question him. In fact, they agreed that the person who marked her was probably the same one she called Rem. 

 

After that, they went into the database of registered vampires trying to find anyone with that name but they came up empty. 

 

It made sense to Light. 

 

Assuming, Rem  _ had _ saved Misa by compelling her attacker to commit suicide, there wasn’t much of a reason why she wouldn’t stick around for the police. After all, she had done nothing wrong by saving an innocent’s life. But everything would be different if Rem was an illegal vampire.

 

_ Just like Ryuk... _

 

If the police found out about it, they would have to arrest her and the repercussions could be very harsh. Either way, Light was sure that his theory was correct and that Rem had compelled the man. Also, her status gave them more motivation to locate her and bring her to justice. 

 

Unfortunately, they didn’t have much to go off of. 

 

Vampires were nearly impossible to track unless they had a regular occupation. Hopefully, they could find Rem by tailing Misa because there wasn’t enough evidence to justify getting a search warrant to further their cause. 

 

Light sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, his other hand firmly placed on his steering wheel. It would be so much easier if he just hunted Rem down as Kira. Except, if the vampire no one knew about turned up dead, a few red flags would rise around the three investigators as they had made a report describing their plans moving forward. 

 

So unless Light wanted the whole of the NPA to suspect him, he’d just have to get Rem through the actual judicial system. It was rather infuriating. 

 

Parking his car in the underground garage, Light stepped out of his vehicle and made his way to the elevator. Once there, he punched the button for his floor and waited patiently for it to lift him there. All the while, he was deep in thought about how they’d attain Rem. 

 

He only had two people to work with on the case and he didn’t like their odds of success. Finding evidence, writing reports, and doing more intensive fieldwork was one thing but following a ditzy idol was something else entirely. He knew Yamamoto was to the moon about it but Light warned him not to approach Misa for autographs or the like. Sanami hadn’t voiced her opinion about this case but she had always been better suited behind a computer. She was very skilled with technology, though Light knew she was physically adept as well but that wasn’t exactly required for tailing a simple civilian. 

 

Personally, Light wasn’t looking forward to their task at all. As much as he wanted to find the whereabouts of Rem, he didn’t want to trail after Misa Amane. The girl was famous, after all. She was bound to have bodyguards and keeping up with her busy schedule was going to have its speed bumps. 

 

There was also the fact that they’d have to tail her during the day as well as the night. As if Light wasn’t missing out on enough sleep already. Not to mention, if this case took a long time, it would interfere with his work as Kira. Especially since they planned on working through the weekends as well. 

 

However, they weren’t going to start until tomorrow morning. Sanami was going to take the first shift from 4:00 am-10:00 am, then Yamamoto would cover until 4:00 pm, Light till 10:00 pm, Sanami to 4:00 am, and so on and so forth. 

 

Light expected the night shifts to hold the most excitement since they were trying to find signs of her  _ vampire friend _ and they weren’t exactly known to be out and about during the day. 

 

The elevator dinged as it finally reached his floor of the apartment and Light wasted no time in walking to his door and getting inside. He set his work bag down by the kitchen counter as his fingers stretched toward the light-switch nearby. 

 

His home lit up and Light jumped back in surprise, releasing a not-so-manly yelp. 

 

There, standing in the center of his living room was none other than Ryuk. 

 

“Hi, Light-o!” 

 

“What are you doing here!?” Light asked, his voice rising with anger. 

 

The black-haired vamp waved off his tone as though he wasn’t enraged at all. “Oh, I thought I’d stop by and see how you’re doing.” 

 

“Why are you in my house?” Light growled out, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.  _ If looks could kill... _

 

“Should I have visited you at work?” 

 

Light’s eyes were deadly slits as he assessed the vampire before him. Oh, how he’d love to wring the monster’s neck but that would be ineffective and unwise. He just couldn’t stand him. The way Ryuk was constantly smiling, mocking him, dancing around his questions, and recently showing up where he shouldn’t was making it a whole lot harder for Light to reign in his temper. 

 

“You shouldn’t visit me anywhere.  _ Ever _ .” 

 

“That’s not very nice, Light. Aren’t we friends?” 

 

Light brushed off  _ his _ question that time. “How did you get in here?” 

 

“I climbed through the window.” 

 

Light didn’t know if he had expected a vampire to need to be invited in or what but in hindsight, his question was wasteful. Even though Light lived on the 12th floor of the complex, he didn’t think it would be much trouble for a bloodsucker to break in, what with the inhuman strength and heightened senses. But that still didn’t explain why he was here in the first place. He had most certainly  _ not  _ come to check up on him. 

 

“Why?” 

 

Ryuk gave him a pointed look, “Your door was locked.” 

 

_ Like you couldn’t have just forced it open anyway.  _

 

Light crossed his arms in annoyance, his initial rage starting to blow over. As much as he hated Ryuk, he couldn’t say he hadn’t expected a drop in like this to happen eventually. “Whatever, if you came here just to be irritating then I’m going to go to sleep.” 

 

He started heading to his bedroom but Ryuk’s cocky tone changed suddenly, stopping him in his tracks with a smirk. 

 

“Wait! Light! Don’t ignore me! I’ll tell you why I’m here!” 

 

He looked at the vamp from over his shoulder, eyeing him expectantly. 

 

Ryuk perked up as their eyes met. “I came here to remind you of something.” 

 

“Oh?” 

 

He nodded slowly as he took smooth steps over to Light, stopping a couple feet in front of him. “Back at the club, I helped you get in but I don’t want you to think I was doing you any favors. I only did that because it would lead to more entertainment.” 

 

“If you want to watch me kill more vampires, then you helping me would be a lot more effective,” Light pointed out, “As it is, I only kill about once a week. Don’t you get bored without Kira?” 

 

“That’s partially why I’m here.” 

 

Ryuk took another step closer to Light, intruding upon his personal space and the brunet instinctively stepped back. The vampire grinned, finding some type of victory from his reaction as he continued in a deep whisper, “I’ve said this before, but the only reason I’ve yet to kill you is because you’re so very  _ interesting _ to me.” 

 

Light didn’t miss the way his eyes flashed red, lasting only a second before they returned to their natural golden hue. 

 

“I’m not asking you to kill more than you already are and I still don’t care if you fail in your ambitions...” 

 

The brunet found some small comfort as the black-haired male moved away from him and to the kitchen area. He followed him there but kept the counter between them as he waited for Ryuk to continue. 

 

“All I want to do is watch and since we’re already accomplices, I don’t see why I can’t be around you more often.” 

 

“It’ll look suspicious if you’re following me everywhere at night, Ryuk. You have to at least stay in the shadows about it,” Light cut in, not liking the man’s notions. 

 

Ryuk didn’t spare him a glance as his eyes were directed elsewhere in the room. “I don’t  _ have _ to do anything.” 

 

His bony fingers snaked into a bowl of fruit lying on the countertop, snatching from it a red apple. “I will keep my distance, though. I don’t want to interfere with your plans but you should know something, Light...” 

 

The apple was brought to the man’s mouth as he inhaled through his nose. 

 

“You can kill every vampire in the world,  _ every human _ , but the only one that gets to kill you...” 

 

Light stared as Ryuk opened his mouth, revealing his sharp canines that seemed to elongate at will before tearing a bite from the fruit in his hand. Juice dripped down his chin as he viciously chewed and Light found it all too easy to picture the drool as blood. 

 

Golden eyes locked with his, holding him there with their intensity alone.

 

“Is me.”  

 

\------------

 

“How’s it going, L?”

 

The raven-haired detective stared at the screen of his laptop, where it displayed his video call with Matt. Of course, the redhead had a cigarette balanced in between his lips as he watched L through his goggles, looking bored and tired even with the moon at its peak. 

 

“Good. Is everything fine there?” 

 

Matt shrugged, “Well, you’ve only been gone a couple days so yeah.” He took a drag of his cigarette than added as an afterthought, “Mello’s still pissed.” 

 

“That’s to be expected.” 

 

“Listen, if you’re calling cause you’re worried about us, don’t be. I’ve got it handled, okay? I’ll make sure they get their cuddle time in when the need arises. Just solve your case fast so you can come back home.” 

 

Home... He’d never thought of it as such. Wasn’t his home where his job took him? That was always when he felt the most content anyway. 

 

“Actually, I’m calling about the investigation.”

 

“What? Are you already done with it?” 

 

L gave him a silent stare.

 

“No? Alright, then what?” 

 

“I’m going to give you access to some security cameras that have been hacked into. I’d like you to see if you can find any trail of Kira from them,” he explained. 

 

Matt perked up at this, “If it gets you home faster than sure thing. I’ll look at em for you, L.” 

 

“Good.” 

 

He disconnected from the call without a proper farewell as was their way. Or at least, L’s way seeing as Matt was the most socially adept of the four of them, not counting Watari. Still, the hacker wasn’t going to be set off by his sudden disappearance, especially since he’d been gracious enough to use his webcam for the call and not leave up his signature letter L. 

 

With the camera dilemma settled, he went back to the files Watari delivered to him per his request. Any of them could be Kira. They were all gifted officers with amazing aim; however, one stood out from the others. 

 

Maybe it was because of the prior knowledge he had of the man, but L couldn’t help but feel biased toward the police chief’s son--Light Yagami. His entire file spoke wonders that even the other two suspects couldn’t match. Light had been the top student at his high school and at To-Oh University, he’d excelled in the Police Academy, performed as the NPA’s best officer/detective in the field, and outshined everyone in his way. There were notes from some of his coworkers as well, and they all seemed to admire, respect, and enjoy the company of the man which was even more eye-catching.

 

Studies showed that serial killers were almost always highly intelligent, charismatic, and well-liked and Light Yagami fit the description to a T. 

 

Even without investigating other branches in Tokyo or the military, L was almost certain Light Yagami was Kira. He was just too perfect, as if he’d been making an image for himself that no one would deem insane. No one but L. 

 

He’d made a Kira profile so similar to L’s and wouldn’t it be something if that very first profile was made by Kira himself. 

 

L turned back to the cover photo of his secret main suspect, where it showed a front shot of him from the shoulders up. Onyx eyes brushed over every detail there, seeing past his stunning looks and instead focusing on the brunet’s tidy appearance, smooth smile, and the peculiar look in his eyes--one that L was well acquainted with. 

 

There wasn’t any hard proof that Light was Kira but if he wanted to, L’s sure Light would be able to pull it off. He had all the right ambitions, skills, and cunning that, hell, L hoped Light was. He’d make a good adversary; make the trip to Japan worthwhile. 

 

L felt an inkling of a smile on his lips as he stared into the amber eyes before him. 

  
“Light Yagami.”


	9. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kira investigation picks up while Kira himself faces a dilemma.

Saturday morning was spent in bed, catching up on much-needed sleep while awaiting his turn tailing Misa Amane. During this time, Light had gotten the occasional texts from his coworkers, informing him of their boring task. Sanami had given him a very informative description of the nothing that happened during her shift, though it  _ was _ early morning and the star needed her beauty sleep like no other. On the other hand, Yamamoto's texts were interesting if not obsessive. The last message described Misa’s outfit which was apparently “fucking adorable.” 

 

Text messages aside, Light had enjoyed his well-deserved rest. 

 

Initially, he thought that Ryuk would stick around all night to be a nuisance but he left once he’d finished off his apple.  _ Thank God _ . 

 

After his lengthy slumber, he woke up in the early afternoon to get dressed and eat and then proceeded to spend his free time searching up the infamous L. The information he found online only  _ just _ brushed the surface, describing his case history in brief detail; nothing Light didn’t already know. The brunet considered his illegal options for finding out more, but it was too risky. If L was as smart as he claimed to be, there’d be limited information through hacking and nothing would be gained without going through firewall after firewall. He might have even set a trap for someone reckless enough to try. 

 

Light wanted to despise L for getting involved with the Kira investigation and making everything so much harder, but he couldn’t. L was a true genius, someone that Light had always respected and wanted to meet. If anyone could solve a case, it was him and if that thought wasn’t terrifying, Light didn’t know what was. It was clear to him that the detective was underestimating him but he figured L would underestimate anyone he faced at this point. He was just too good. 

 

It bothered Light to some degree, that he couldn’t easily fool L like he did the NPA but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t thrilled. This was his chance to see who was smarter; L or Kira. 

 

The sudden buzz of his phone brought Light back to reality. It was another text from Yamamoto, informing him that Misa had arrived at a new location and that he should meet him there. Light stumbled over the message as he read the address. He was already familiar with it. 

 

He threw on a jacket and tucked his police-issued gun into his back pocket before heading to his car whilst replying to the text to say he was on his way. He couldn’t believe it. To think that he’d have to go back to Fangtasy so soon... 

 

_ Why did she have to go there? What if someone recognizes me!? _

 

He started his car and drove toward the destination, all the while dreading the worst. He didn’t know what the task force was doing regarding the murder at the club; if they’d installed secret cameras, posted men outside, or nothing at all. Hell, he didn’t know if the vampires had installed something themselves. It wasn’t like they were helpless and they weren’t as eager to let the human police handle their affairs for them. 

 

He took a deep breath in an attempt to settle his nerves.  _ Calm down, Light. You’ll be fine. You wore a disguise and blocked the camera feed that night. No one has any reason to suspect you.  _

 

_ Unless they noticed the blood on your watch... _

 

Another exhale. 

 

_ This isn’t helping. _

 

He parked his car within view of the club, spotting Yamamoto’s vehicle instantaneously. He sent another text to his coworker and he was soon the only cop left behind. With any luck, Misa would leave within an hour so he could stop panicking. 

 

Then something crossed his mind. Why was she even there to begin with? It was only 4:30 pm. It was unusually early to be inside a club, let alone a vampire club during the day. Was it even open?

 

Light tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in thought, weighing his options in his mind. The more he thought it over the more confident he was that she was there to meet her “friend”, Rem. If so, this would be the perfect opportunity to figure out Rem’s identity. Especially, if he was planning to keep it to himself for Kira’s use. 

 

The sun was still out so most of the vampires in Japan would be asleep, in a heavily sheltered location. So even if he went inside without any “proper” defenses, it wasn’t like it would be too difficult to fight if need be. Plus, he was a police officer so they’d probably let him inside, even without a search warrant. 

 

Then again, he wanted to go unnoticed. If he casually walked inside, someone was bound to spot him and Misa would undoubtedly recognize him from the interrogation. Though they were on good terms and she seemed like a ditz, she’d be an idiot not to find his appearance there suspicious. 

 

And there was still the problem of being recognized by someone more dangerous...

 

Finally, he decided that as long as he stayed outside, he’d be relatively safe. Thus, he would try to steal a peek through one of the doors--front or back if either was unlocked. It was a huge risk, but being Kira was a risk too and Light wasn’t one to step down from a challenge. 

 

With a deep breath, Light stepped out of his car and started walking toward the club. He tried to look relaxed and nonchalant, keeping his hands in his pockets to hide their nervous shake. The occasional car drove by but otherwise, the street was empty except for him. 

 

He continued to close the distance between him and the club, deciding that his best bet was trying the front door. If any part of the building was being monitored to a higher degree, it would be the back where the last crime was committed. Plus, it was less suspicious to try the front anyway. 

 

_ This will only take a minute.  _

 

\------------

 

Matt was personally offended by Kira. Not even an hour after L reached out to him, his fledgling called back to rant on and on about Kira’s hacking skills. Apparently, the vampire hunter was quite gifted. There had been no way to recover the missing recordings, something that L was fascinated by. He knew he wouldn’t be able to, but Matt was the best hacker he’d ever known. To think that Li- Kira had bested him was amazing. 

 

L was definitely reconsidering his feelings on this investigation. He was right about Kira being stupidly reckless but he  _ had _ underestimated the man’s intellect. It was new to him, the feeling of being somewhat wrong. It wasn’t as painful as he thought it would be. 

 

But contacting Matt hadn’t been a complete waste of time. His successor was barely able to pinpoint the location that the hack occurred, but he had nonetheless. Apparently, Kira had erased the recordings in the cafe across the street from the club. Even though they weren’t going to be able to pull up video footage to analyze, there was still hope. With any luck, one of the workers would be able to point them in the right direction.

 

He contacted the members of the task force as soon as he made this discovery but they didn’t get back to him until Saturday morning, once again reminding him of how unreliable sleeping was. Then he had to give them more information, figure out who was going to go (Soichiro and Matsuda), and wait for them to finish the deed. 

 

He wanted to send Watari with too but his sire shot him down, telling him that the NPA wasn’t entirely incapable of doing their jobs. L held his tongue on that one, not that he had much of a choice. His natural instincts caused him to back down from any argument with his maker. Lucky for him, Watari wasn’t much for arguing. 

 

Around 4:30 pm, he finally received a call from Matsuda. 

 

“Great news, L! One of the baristas worked  _ that _ night and she gave us a description of the customers she could remember. It’s not much, but it’s something, right?” 

 

“It is. Did you record her statement?” 

 

“Of course! I’ll send it to you.” 

 

“I’ll be in touch.” 

 

Hanging up on the man, he didn’t have to wait long to receive the audio recording. Watari sat next to him on the couch as he pressed play, as anxious as he was to hear anything useful.

 

\------------

 

Light was standing directly in front of the door now, giving himself the final mental encouragement he needed to try the doorknob. It really was frightening, wondering what might be on the other side. Even so, it wasn’t like he was going to be attacked just for peeking inside. Nothing on him revealed that he was Kira. Nothing but his face, should someone in the club recognize him from the other night. 

 

_ I can do this.  _

 

His fingers grasped the doorknob and as quietly as he could manage, he turned it. He was surprised to find the door was unlocked, though it was heavier than he’d originally guessed. Light tugged it open a crack and brought his eyes to the gap. 

 

The interior was shrouded in darkness, silent, and seemingly empty from his line of sight. The only sign that someone was around was the scarlet red light pooling from the cracks in one of the doors lining the side walls. He assumed it was a VIP type of room, but he didn’t know for sure. 

 

Light was both disappointed and relieved. It seemed all of the risk was for nothing since he didn’t spot anything useful to him but he was also comforted that no one spotted him. 

 

He removed his face from the door and started to push the sturdy entrance shut when a disturbing sound reached his ears. 

 

“Great news, L!” 

 

The voice sounded from a way behind him, loud and full of excitement. Light instantly recognized that the man speaking was Touta Matsuda.

 

“One of the baristas worked  _ that _ night and she gave us a description of the customers she could remember.” 

 

Light could feel his stomach sink at his predicament, as he slowly glanced behind him to see his coworker exiting the cafe across the street, completely absorbed in the conversation he was having over the phone. Through the closing door, he made out the even more familiar figure of his father talking to the barista inside. 

 

_ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _

 

He was screwed. Absolutely screwed. He was directly in their line of sight and should either of them tune into their surroundings, they’d doubtlessly recognize him. 

 

And there he was, standing suspiciously in front of the vampire nightclub, Fangtasy; the most recent murder site. Even with his alibi of tailing Misa Amane, it was still clear that he was partially trespassing OR creeping around a crime scene he was forbidden to access. 

 

He knew he was a suspect, hopefully a minor one, but even if he wasn’t accused of being Kira, his career would be threatened if either of the men noticed him. 

 

Even his silver tongue wouldn’t save him in this situation. 

 

He had no other choice. 

 

Without the slightest of hesitation, Light opened the door in front of him enough the squeeze through. Matsuda’s chatter was cut off the second the door clicked back into place. The darkness swallowed Light up, hiding his form in the spacious building. It wouldn’t be enough to keep him hidden from any vampires lurking inside, however. 

 

He leaned against the door, his heartbeat racing in his chest and he knew he’d just traded one negative for another. Assuming a vampire was inside, they’d already be aware of his being there. 

 

Even if they for some reason couldn’t see him, they’d definitely be able to hear and smell his presence. So there was no point in hiding now. With any luck, it was just Misa in the building and he’d be fine. 

 

If a vampire did come out to confront him, however, there were a number of ways that could go...

 

One thing was certain, though. He wasn’t prepared for a physical attack. 

 

Pushing off of the door, Light took nervous steps toward the bar. For now, he would just pretend to be here for something unrelated to the Kira investigation. Perhaps he would even keep his police identity secret so long as Misa didn’t meet him. 

 

He took a seat in one of the barstools and rested his hands on the counter. His fingers tapped the ebony countertop lightly, in an attempt to alert someone that he was waiting without having to utter a single word. No one came. 

 

Reeling in his nerves, Light remained sitting, keeping his hands still as he raked his eyes over the shelves behind the counter. There were only a few bottles of alcohol that Light had heard of. The rest were stocked with black bottles with bright red labels reading  sânge \--the Romanian word for blood and the most popular brand of alternative substance for vampires. 

 

Light felt uncomfortable staring at the bottles and he felt the telling itch of his hatred for vampires, leading him to rise from his stool and walk away from the bar. The last thing he needed was for a vampire to sense his anger and disgust. That would be a fatal mistake. 

 

The brunet walked around the room a while longer, eyeing the stages and decor with feigned interest but he was starting to feel as though nothing bad was going to happen. He knew this feeling was naive but if he stuck around much longer, the sun would go down. 

 

So with one last glance at the glowing door he’d been avoiding, Light turned back to the entrance. He froze. 

 

A looming silhouette stood, blocking the closest exit.

 

A chill ran down his spine as he realized the figure was taller than he was and staring right at him. It could have been watching him the entire time. 

 

Dread filled him as Light realized that this could be his final moment on Earth; dying to a single creature when he’d killed so many before it. His legacy would be ruined, his dream would be dead, and Kira would be wiped away from existence. 

 

He took a step back as he stared wide-eyed into the vampire’s crimson orbs. 

 

**“I know who you are.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you just hate cliffhangers? ; )


	10. Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made.

“My shift was from 6:00 pm until closing time, which was around 10:30 pm that night. We don’t get a lot of customers after 7:00 pm during the week, so only a handful of people came by. I don’t remember much about them, I was pretty tired that night, but I’ll tell you what I can.”

 

L listened to the recording Matsuda had sent him for the tenth time as he waited for the task force to assemble in the briefing room. He only needed to hear it the one time to gather any useful information but the detective found himself enthralled with the barista’s words. There hadn’t been any other Kira victims to preoccupy his time so he had no qualms about obsessing over the audio file. 

 

“When I started my shift there were already a few people sitting down. I think there was an older man in a suit by the front window and a group of college students in one of the booths. They didn’t stay very long, though. My first customer that night was a middle-aged woman. She looked like she’d just gotten off work and she ordered a coffee to go. I’m pretty sure she was a regular.” 

 

He was confident that the older man and woman weren’t Kira and the group of college students was hardly suspicious. L was more concerned with twiddling his toes during this part of the recording. It hardly mattered. 

 

“Then there were a couple of girls. I remember thinking they were going to go to the vampire club because they were wearing a lot of black.  _ Their type _ is pretty common around here. You know, the  _ fanatics _ .”

 

She was referring to humans that sought out attention from his kind; people that wanted to be turned, mated, or indulged in some (usually erotic) way. The raven had never paid them any mind but hearing the barista’s blatant revulsion toward them, struck a nerve he didn’t know he had. 

 

_ Kira would like her.  _

 

“Then there was another group of college or high school students that stayed for a long time. There were like two girls and three guys... or was it all guys? I’m not sure.”

 

“That’s fine. Did anyone else come in after that?” Chief Yagami’s voice cut in.

 

“Oh, yeah,” she replied with a bit more enthusiasm, “There was another guy that came alone. He was wearing all black so he was probably another one of _ those  _ people which is too bad because he was really good looking. He kind of reminded me of Ryuga Hideki but this guy had black hair instead. I bet Ryuga would look good with black hai-” 

 

Soichiro cleared his throat and the girl snapped out of her fantasy. 

 

“Right. Sorry about that. Um, he ordered a drink and sat down for a while. No one else came in after him so I didn’t have much to do. I really wish I would have given him my number but he seemed busy...”

 

“Busy how?” 

 

“He was on his laptop. Anyway, he left before the students did and I ended up kicking them out for being too loud. Don’t tell my boss.”

 

L pressed the stop button, knowing that there was nothing worthwhile after that. He was absolutely certain that the man that the barista had gushed over, was Kira. He was the only one that was described to have a laptop and his attire suggested that he was going to go to Fangtasy immediately after. He wished she would have been able to describe more details about him but it couldn’t be helped. Even if they had her talk to a sketch artist, she’d just confuse Kira’s features with Ryuga’s since she’d already latched onto their visual similarities. 

 

At least L knew for sure that Kira was male. The barista’s statement also supported L’s theory that the vampire hunter was somewhat attractive.

 

He forced himself not to dwell on his main Kira suspect because he knew he was biased about it. Watari had said as much after they’d listened to the recording the first time around. His sire’s lack of enthusiasm had gotten under L’s skin and he had decided to put an actual effort into investigating the military and other police officers. 

 

He would give that job to the task force and remain focused on his own lead, however. The detective was more than aware of his team’s hesitance to pursue Light Yagami. Most of them knew him personally and L didn't want any unnecessary obstacles getting in the way of hi-

 

The raven’s thoughts were placed on hold as his eyes lasered onto the screen displaying the briefing room, which was now filling up with members of the task force. Watari collected the secure computer from his briefcase and placed it in the head of the room. Once his alias flickered onto the screen, L directed the assembled officers to research military members, men specifically, and anyone with past experience in law enforcement. 

 

For a good hour, no one asked any questions and followed his orders until Soichiro took heavy steps up to the laptop. His shoulders were slumped and dark circles sat under his eyes. 

 

“What is it, Yagami-san?”

 

“Do you still believe Kira is part of the NPA?” He asked in a low voice.

 

“I haven't completely cleared any of our known suspects but we can't turn a blind eye to the other potential candidates.”

 

“So my son could still be Kira?”

 

“There's a large number of people that could be Kira,” L retorted.

 

The chief didn't seem satisfied by his response as his expression darkened considerably. “He got his sense of justice from me. He always wanted to catch the bad guys and make the world a better place,” Soichiro explained with a far off look. “There were times when I thought he’d do anything to make his dreams a reality.”

 

L listened in silence, letting the man’s words sink in. He appeared to know that what he was saying would make his son seem even more suspicious and that it did. 

 

“If Light is Kira... I don't know what I'd do.”

 

“Criminals and vampires aren't one in the same,” L pointed out, “If he has no prejudice against them what would his motive be?” His question was meant as reassurance but he’d be lying if he said he wasn't hoping Soichiro could provide him with an answer. 

 

Soichiro did not answer his question though. He just grunted his acknowledgment and turned back to his original duty. The other officers had their hands full enough to not question their boss’s strange behavior, not that they could have heard a word of it anyway. Still, L didn't miss the questioning glance Aizawa directed toward the chief. 

 

The detective ignored the hint of drama in favor of checking the other camera feeds of NPA headquarters. It all looked pretty cut and dry from what he could tell. Most of the officers had their eyes glued to a computer screen with the exception of two people standing in the break room. One was a well-dressed woman with long black hair and the other a generic man with glasses. If he remembered correctly, they worked closely with a certain Kira suspect of his. 

 

Feeling curious, L unmuted the recording of the breakroom to see what the two were discussing. 

 

The sound of coffee brewing was the first thing to transmit from the speakers as the man waited patiently beside the counter. He seemed displeased by something judging by the man’s frown. The woman was leaning against the same counter with an unreadable expression.

 

“I don't understand that guy,” the man expressed suddenly, “First, he begs us to go along with his intuition and next thing we know, he’s calling the whole thing off? I gave up my weekend for nothing!”

 

The woman snorted at his complaint. “He’s the genius. I'm sure he had a good reason for all of this.”

 

“Yeah?” He asked unimpressed and spun around to face his coworker, “But what was the point of our investigation in the first place?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Why were we so worried about an illegal vampire if they had just saved a girl’s life? Doesn't that seem kinda cold?”

 

L pressed his thumb to his lips as he started to feel entranced by their conversation. 

 

“Justice is justice, Yamamoto.”

 

“You sound just like him.”

 

The woman released an irritated sigh and folded her arms across her chest. “And what’s so wrong with that? Light’s your friend and  _ our _ superior. Why are you doubting him all of a sudden? I thought you’d be happy about the tailing given the circumstances.”

 

“Misa Misa wasn't the target,” Yamamoto countered, “Her friend was. We never found them so why drop the case? It doesn't make any sense, Sanami! Don't tell me I'm the only one that sees that!”

 

Sanami stared at him for a while but her stoic expression didn't cave. It was only until the sound of the brewing stopped that she uncrossed her arms and spoke again.

 

L had to crane his neck to hear her whispered response.

 

“We’ll continue this later.”

 

L’s focus shifted from her retreating form to one of the offices feeds. There, he studied his fixation with probing eyes. The man’s perfect hair, perfect face, perfect suit, perfect everything was a hard exterior to crack but the detective knew he was on his way. Whether Light was Kira or not, the man was certainly up to something and L was determined to learn what. 

 

Slowly, the raven turned back to his laptop and announced, “There’s been a change of plans.”

 

\------------

 

Light felt like a failure. In all of his life, he'd never once dropped an unfinished project, especially when said project was a police case. He was the star of the NPA, the ace that never slipped up and yet he’d made a huge mistake. 

 

He'd been found out. 

 

**_“I know who you are”_** rang in his head mockingly, reminding him of the previous afternoon. 

 

He had to force himself not to punch his desk. After all, he was being watched by L. 

 

Light took a deep breath as he continued typing a follow-up report on the Misa investigation. Every press of the keyboard stung his ego as he came up with a viable reason as to why his team was no longer hunting Rem. 

 

His fists clenched from just thinking the name. He hated vampires with a searing passion but never as much as he despised Rem. 

 

_ That bitch had the nerve to threaten me! _

 

He scrunched his eyes shut as his memories started to suffocate his livid mind. Light recalled the ghastly pale woman blocking his retreat from the club. Her crimson eyes captured him in a calculated gaze that had sent chills down his spine. 

 

_ Her hair was white with purple tips, shoulder length, and nearly hiding the golden hoop rings dangling from her earlobes. She wore a form-fitting suit jacket and pencil skirt that were as white as her complexion. The woman towered over Light by several inches and that paired with her haunting aura caused his heart to race violently.  _

 

_ “You’re Kira,” she declared with a grating undertone. Despite her knowledge, the woman didn't appear enraged. She hardly had an expression at all but Light could see the monster in her eyes, a clear reflection of her very nature.  _

 

_ “What are you talking about?” There was no inflection of fear in his voice. Somehow he'd managed to sound calm and indifferent when his mind was screaming at him to run.  _

 

_ Her eyes narrowed by a fraction as she took a daunting step forward. “You were here with Ryuk the night of the murder.” _

 

_ The brunet didn't respond.  _

 

_ “I was watching you. I saw you lure that man out back.” Her eyes lowered to his wrist and her lips pulled into a tight line. “I saw the blood on your watch when you returned.” _

 

_ “You're wrong. I'm not Kira. I'm a police officer.” _

 

_ “I know that as well.” _

 

_ He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, growing more uncomfortable by the second. She knew who he was. He wasn't sure how but she knew. _

 

_ “I’ve been following you ever since that night. I wanted to learn your motives and see the man behind the alias,” she continued with a wicked cruelty, “I did my own research, Light Yagami. You can't lie to me.” _

 

_ A bead of a sweat trailed down his forehead as his eyes widened in realization. Kira had been caught. Either she'd kill him herself or report to the vampire council. He had his police-issued gun but without wooden bullets, it was practically useless. He wasn't going to be able to outrun, outfight, or outsmart her now.  _

 

_ Hopelessness loomed over him as he was met with the first loss of his life. His family and his coworkers would learn who he really was. They'd see behind his perfectly sculpted mask and feel what? Disappointment, betrayal, anger... _

 

_ His legacy was going to fall apart and his actions would have been for nothing. He hadn't been able to cleanse the earth of vampires. He hadn't been able to make a difference. He hadn't been able to change the world. _

 

_ He wanted to laugh at the joke his life had been. He wanted to throw his head back and let loose his real emotions. He wanted to explain his dream of a better world with this woman--with everyone.  _

 

_ He wanted to cry.  _

 

_ He didn't have a chance to do anything though, for the woman beat him to the mark. _

 

_ “Stop tailing Misa.” _

 

_ He didn't know how to respond to that but he was beginning to understand who he was dealing with.  _

 

_ “I saved her life and I'm going to continue protecting her,” Rem’s voice thundered, “Leave us alone or I will end you.” _

 

_ She pointed a bony finger to his face and his legs almost gave out.  _

 

_ “Do you understand?” _

 

_ The brunet swallowed down his pride as he met her steady gaze with a weak defiance. “I understand.” _

 

Sanami and Yamamoto weren't happy when he told them they were dropping the case. They knew it was uncharacteristic of him to give up and they'd probably jumped to their own conclusions as to why he did what he did. His excuse had been that the station wanted them to stay out of the business of vampires for as long as the council and Kira were in the immediate picture. There were holes in his explanation but he had to tell them  _ something _ and it wasn't like he could come clean about Rem.

 

_ Yeah, I’m dropping the case because Rem sniffed me out and gave me a death threat. Why? Oh, because I'm Kira.  _ He snorted at the scene that would have caused. He would have been in handcuffs instantaneously and interrogated by L no doubt. His brows furrowed at the thought. 

 

His fingers went back to typing as he pulled his mind out of the gutter. He needed to be productive. He needed to deal with Rem. 

 

Now that she'd spoke out to him, it wouldn't make sense for to continue stalking him. So he was probably safe from her prying eyes as long as he stayed true to his word about Misa. He closed her case already so there was no reason for him to interact with the idol any longer.

 

She was never the problem anyway. It had always been Rem, illegal vampire or not. Light was frustrated enough with Ryuk knowing his secret. He couldn't allow another vampire that same privilege. 

 

Even if she kept to herself about it, she was a clear threat. At any moment, should it benefit her in some way, Rem could out him and it'd be over. Kira would be over.

 

_ I won't let that happen. _

 

It was improbable that he'd be able to kill Rem now that she knew who he was. She'd be able to smell him a mile away, he was sure. Negotiations were out of the question since he could trust her as much she did him. His only option was to find a weakness of hers and use it to his advantage.

 

Lucky for him, he already knew what that weakness was. 

 

_ Misa Amane, I guess you can be useful after all. _ He smiled to himself as he tossed around the possibilities of how he could use her. She was protected, which would make it hard for him to get close to her, but if he could... 

 

_ Hold on. Did Rem even know about the interrogation? She didn't say anything about it... She was more concerned about me being Kira than a co- _

 

“I see,” he said under his breath. A sense of understanding washed over him as he discovered the key to Rem’s concern.

 

_ She doesn't want Misa to come in contact with Kira. _ That much was clear but it didn't explain why she didn't just kill him.

 

_ Why can't Misa know who I am? Why would it matter? She’s not a vampire.  _

 

His smile faltered as he realized he reached yet another obstacle. 

 

_ What are you up to, Rem? _

 

A sudden knocking on his door attracted his attention as he shifted his gaze from his computer. “Come in,” he called.

 

A moment later the door opened, revealing the police chief. He looked stressed and worn out. The Kira investigation must have been getting to him. 

 

He thought back to when he was younger and how little time his dad spent at home. His work came before family every time, much to his wife and daughter’s dismay. 

 

_ Now, I'm the reason he's not with them. _

 

“Light,” he acknowledged his son dryly. It wasn't an unusual greeting for them.

 

“Is there something you need?” He asked with the apathetic politeness he’d upheld around acquaintances. As it was, he treated his father as if he was a stranger. He practically was.

 

Soichiro stepped further into the office, his expression torn in a way Light couldn't decipher. He almost appeared to be... discouraged.

 

The man cleared his throat and the look was replaced with the exhausted professionalism he was used to. 

 

“You’ve been assigned to the Kira investigation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My updates won't be weekly anymore. I'll try, of course, but I've been busy lately. This chapter came two weeks later than normal so don't be surprised if it takes another two weeks for the next one. I'm starting to get to the parts of the story I actually wanted to write so that might motivate me to make time but I'm not going to make any promises. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter! There's another cliffhanger too lol. Forgive me! After all, the two geniuses are gonna meet soon~.


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